Downtown St. Paul fire sends two to hospital
Updated 6:45 p.m. | Posted 6:38 p.m.
St. Paul fire crews rescued four adults Tuesday afternoon from a fire on the 500 block of St. Peter Street downtown, across from St. Joseph's Hospital.
Two were transported to Regions Hospital with severe burns and two suffered less severe injuries, Fire Chief Tim Butler said. Firefighters also used oxygen to revive a cat at the scene.
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The initial call was made at 4:35 p.m. when residents saw smoke billowing from all sides of the building.
Butler said the fire was contained to one apartment unit on the north side. It's not clear whether all four victims were found there or also in the hallway.
Crews evacuated the entire building, which has about 30 units. Some will be able to get back in tonight, Butler said.
The fire was a quick knockdown, but the building was a challenge to be in, he added.
"The hallways are not straight, they've got a lot of kinks and bends and low overhead," Butler said. "It's been broken up into a lot of different compartments and they're hard to check."
The fire's cause is still under investigation.