‘Unhealthy’ air quality expected in eastern Minnesota through Monday afternoon due to wildfire smoke

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Muhyedin Djirdi came to the shelter with his cousins’ family.  

The family of nine recently arrived in Minnesota from Somalia. Three months ago, they moved into the Helix Apartments in St. Louis Park. 

Following Friday’s blaze, the family has nothing, Djirdi said. They lost everything, such as furniture, valuables, family heirlooms and souvenirs. 

“I would really describe it as just devastating news for everybody and just a devastating loss,” Djirdi said. “I would just say that this is the toughest situation for anybody to ever be in.” 

Around 90 of more than 150 units at the Helix Apartments were destroyed by the fire. Officials suspect it started on a third-floor balcony but are still investigating the cause.  

The American Red Cross opened a shelter at the St. Louis Park Middle School to provide those like Djirdi’s family, who are now without a home, with cots, meals, pet accommodations and basic necessities. 

At the shelter, Djirdi translated for his cousins’ family, who are still learning English and adjusting to life in a new country. They don’t know how long they’ll be at the shelter or what they’ll be able to salvage, given their limited understanding of their renters insurance policy, he said. 

“They haven't understood what their policies, limits and stuff like that would have covered,” he said. 

Art McIntyre, assistant director of logistics and a 43-year volunteer at the Red Cross, said his team volunteers to “help people when they’re at their lowest and bring them up.”

“Just imagine that you're in your worst point in your life, you have nothing, you don't know where to go and then this school here and the community surrounding helps them,” he said. “That's the road to recovery, that gives people hope when they don't have any.”  

Laura Nygren came to the shelter Monday offering dog kennels and blankets for people’s pet needs. 

“It's weird looking out my balcony now at night because there are no lights down there,” said Nygren, who lives a half-block from the building. "I used to see apartment lights and balcony lights, and now it's just this black hole down there.”  

Two of her friends lived at the Helix, but she said their apartments were spared. They were allowed to grab their medication or any other basic needs they needed on Saturday.  

“I ran down there right away because I wanted to make sure that they were OK, and it's been pretty devastating,” Nygren said.  

McIntyre said the shelters will remain open until residents no longer need it. 

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Ahmed Hassan

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A family of nine recently immigrated to Minnesota from Somalia and lost their apartment to a fire in St. Louis Park just three months after moving into it. 

Volunteers in red vests speak to a family inside a school gymnasium.

Ahmed Hassan | MPR News

American Red Cross volunteers in red vests talk to each other in a school hallway.

Immigrant family loses their home in St. Louis Park apartment fire

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