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Crews have been battling a fire Wednesday morning at a building on the 900 block of University Avenue in St. Paul.

St. Paul Fire Department said in a post on X that they responded to the basement fire just before 3 a.m. 

It's at the corner of University Avenue and Milton Street, a few blocks east of Lexington Parkway. The two-story building has retail space on the first floor and apartments above.

Dispatchers indicated that an occupant was inside the structure when the fire started, and was able to escape by climbing from a second-story window onto a neighboring structure’s roof, where a neighbor helped them down with a ladder.

The department reported firefighters entered the structure to fight the fire and search the building. 

As conditions changed, fire crews pulled out to combat the flames from a defensive operation, according to Roy Mokosso, deputy fire chief for St. Paul. One crew member struggled to exit the basement, and two others were out of contact from radio, but eventually all three were able to exit on their own.

The fire department says no injuries have been reported, and the cause is under investigation.

Safety inspectors have determined the building will need to be demolished, which will occur later in the day. The eastbound lanes of University Avenue will remain closed until demolition is finished.

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Crews have been battling a fire Wednesday morning at a building along University Avenue in St. Paul.

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