Fire guts Eagan apartments, displaces hundreds
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Hundreds of people are still out of their homes after a fire at an Eagan apartment complex Monday night.
Fire officials said the blaze apparently started in an outdoor ashtray outside the building's front door. The fire quickly spread throughout the building's entrance, according to fire chief Mike Scott.
He said it took about 15 minutes to rescue people from balconies and upper floor apartments, and that the heat prompted Eagan to summon help from neighboring cities.
Scott also said that the 106 unit building was uninhabitable last night, but that the Red Cross struggled to find places for residents to stay.
"With all the people in Minneapolis that were put in temporary shelters, they're really taxed right now to find shelters with this large of a complex," Scott said. "Luckily, a lot of people had either family or friends they could go stay with or renters insurance and they were able to stay in a hotel last night."
Scott said that about six of the units were heavily damaged, but that he hoped the rest of the residents would be able to return to their apartments Tuesday.
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