ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — Authorities in the northwest metro are investigating a fire that killed one resident and caused the evacuation of several others Tuesday morning.
According to Capt. John Elder of the Robbinsdale Police Department, officers and firefighters responded around 5:18 a.m. to the report of a possible apartment fire in the 4300 block of Robbins Landing.
When emergency responders arrived, they saw heavy smoke coming from the apartment and also filling the hallways. Elder says officers were initially unable to gain access to the affected third-floor apartment due to the thick smoke. Officers were able to evacuate the rest of the apartment complex.
“Total darkness, even with flashlights,” Elder said. “Officers opened the door and it was literally a black wall of smoke.”
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The fire brigade eventually managed to remove the only occupant, a woman, from the apartment. Emergency care was provided with the assistance of paramedics, but the victim later died.
Elder says the cold temperatures and the advanced age of the residents made it difficult to tackle the fire.
The fire was contained to the third-floor unit, but several other units sustained water damage.
It’s too early in the investigation to know the cause of the fire, Elder said, but investigators are “pointing out certain areas in the apartment where the fire may have started.”
Authorities are working to identify the victim and notify her next of kin.
“There’s no right time for this to happen, but especially as people go into the holidays, someone’s grandmother is going to be there, and someone’s mother isn’t going to be sitting with them during the holidays,” Elder said.
