St. Paul city officials have condemned an apartment building after a fire displaced more than a dozen people living only blocks from the State Capitol.
Police and firefighters rushed Saturday morning to a three-story apartment building in the 500 block of Rice Street, where they saw flames shoot out of windows on the second floor.
“Officers made entry and successfully evacuated approximately seven occupants from the first floor,” St. Paul Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Smith said in a news release.
According to Smith, fire crews responded to reports of trapped occupants and successfully evacuated six to seven people from the third floor. Firefighters doused flames inside a second floor apartment before the fire could spread further.
Two officers and a resident were hospitalized for minor smoke inhalation.
City officials condemned the building, which included commercial space on the street level, due to damage from the flames. Fourteen adults and numerous cats were displaced as a result, and the Red Cross and animal control officials were providing assistance.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
