5 dead, 3 Hospitalized In Minneapolis Apartment Fire

Five people died and three others were hospitalized in a high-rise apartment fire in Minneapolis on Thursday.

Around 4 a.m. a fire broke out on the 14th floor of the Cedar High Apartments in the Cedar Riverside parts of Minneapolis, which was also called Little Mogadishu for its several Somali residents.

According to Fire Chief John Fruetel, firefighters discovered heavy smoke coming from the 16th and 17th floors of the building as the residents were being evacuated through the stairwells.

Fruetel said that the fire had a “pretty good headstart” by the time firefighters arrived and found heavy smoke and heat.

Fire spokesman Bryan Tyner reported that four of the victims were found in the 14th floor while the other one was found on the stairwell, and it is still undetermined whether or not the victims were related or lived in the same units.

The conditions of the injured residents were not immediately known and one firefighter reportedly suffered minor injuries, ABC News reported.

The Minneapolis Fire posted a series of tweets giving updates on the incident with the most recent one saying Fruetel would be giving a statement on camera regarding the fire.

“A very tragic night at the beginning of a holiday weekend,” Fruetel said. The cause of the fire is still not known. The building is a part of a complex known as The Cedars and had 191 apartments which are typically one-bedroom or studio units.

According to Jeff Horwich, spokesman for the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, it is unusual for a fire to spread in the complex.

“The buildings are made of concrete, natural fireproofing between units that typically keeps a fire from spreading,” he said. “Clearly, it did spread to multiple units.”

Horwich said that the 14th floor would be temporarily inhabitable but the floors above it are being checked and those living above the 14th floor could go back as early as Wednesday.