Winter storm warnings include northeast Twin Cities

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support


Strong winds and a downed power line ignited  dried vegetation and triggered a fire in St. Paul's North End Wednesday that damaged three homes and a storage shed.

Nobody was injured, although firefighters were still fighting the fire two hours after the initial call at about 3 p.m.


"The wind was fierce, 40-50 mph gusts," St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said. "The fire was actually blowing across the street when they pulled up, like a torch."


St. Paul firefighters arrived at Front and Western avenues to find one home fully engulfed. They began fighting the fire there but were advised to leave because of the severity of the fire, Zaccard said.


The two-alarm fire sent about 60 firefighters out. The fire started in one home and moved west to two other homes. The second home was severely damaged, while the third moderately damaged.


The home where the fire started was vacant, Zaccard said. The neighbors were able to get out without injury.


Crews were so focused on the large fire that they didn't realize a storage shed and garage on the north side also caught flames, Zaccard said. That's when additional crews were called out.


"We couldn't spare anybody from the big fire at that point," he said.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zBFRRUlNd2v4.k93vvcas9zwU

Gallery

Weather and Climate News

Minnesota News

Twin Cities News

Riham Feshir

Author

Strong winds and a downed power line ignited  dried vegetation and triggered the fire. Nobody was injured.

Jennifer Simonson | MPR News

A firefighter talked to a woman about the homes.

Onlookers watched as a fire destroyed homes.

Firefighters hosed down the smoking rubble.

Wind-whipped fire damages three homes in St. Paul's North End

Go Deeper.

Like this?