Fire at Minneapolis City Hall closes police property room

An early morning fire at Minneapolis City Hall forced some 911 dispatchers away from their posts and set off sprinklers in a police department evidence storage area.

The fire was reported about 1 a.m., and was extinguished by sprinklers. But smoke filled parts of the sub-basement at City Hall, including the 911 dispatch center adjacent to the storage area. The city moved some of the dispatch staff out of the building to a backup facility in the police department's 3rd Precinct offices.

There was no structural damage to the building or 911 center. The fire department said there were no injuries, although firefighters had to use fans to blow the smoke out of the area, and pumps to remove the water from the sprinklers. The department said the fire was in shelving in the sub-basement.

City officials say the building will be open for business Monday, and the city's call center was taking 911 emergency calls as usual as of 6 a.m. They're asking people to direct non-emergency calls to 311.

The police department said its property room will be closed Monday as police investigate the extent of the damage.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the fire.

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