Fire spreads to three homes in south Minneapolis

Three homes were heavily damaged or destroyed after high winds spread a fire in south Minneapolis early Wednesday morning.

Minneapolis firefighters were called just before 4 a.m. to a report of a fire in a vacant, boarded-up home at 2817 14th Ave. South, just north of the Midtown Greenway and a few blocks east of Abbott Northwestern hospital.

Firefighters found the home fully engulfed and flames spreading to adjacent homes, with a steady wind fanning the fire.

The first house to catch fire collapsed and another, adjacent vacant home was heavily damaged. A statement from the fire department said two adults in a second neighboring home were evacuated safely but their home was no longer habitable after the fire. A garage also caught fire.

The fire prompted second and third alarms to bring in more personnel and equipment to keep the blaze from spreading even further. No injuries were reported and the fires were out by 6 a.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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