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St. Paul Firefighter Falls Down Elevator Shaft at Brewery Fire
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cites Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cites Fire Wire Photo
June 21 – A St. Paul firefighter suffered minor injuries after falling down an elevator shaft at Stroh’s Brewery on Tuesday night. He was battling one of two fires in the vacant complex.
Fire crews were called to the complex, at 707 E. Minnehaha Ave., just before 9 p.m. for a lightning strike with smoke showing from the complex.
Engine 4 arrived to find smoke showing from a two-story building on the Southwest side of the facility. Firefighters found rubbish burning and quickly contained the smoky fire.
Shortly after that was knocked down, crews found smoke coming from a four-story building across the alley, Chief Tim Butler told Twin Cities Fire Wire.
Command requested two additional engines to assist with water supply and additional personnel. Crews had to stretch several hundred feet of hose from the street to the fire buildings.
When crews forced their way inside the building, they found heavy smoke on all floors. Crews began opening up the building from the exterior to perform ventilation.
As firefighters searched for the seat of the fire a veteran firefighter fell about 15 feet down an elevator shaft.
He was removed from the shaft and was examined at the scene. He suffered minor cuts and bruises and was taken to the hospital for further examination.
“We were very lucky tonight,” Butler said after the fire was out. “This could have been a whole lot worse.”
Firefighters continued to search for the fire. It was located in the basement and was brought under control.
As heavy rain pushed through the metro area, St. Paul firefighters packed up several hundred feet of hose while the other crews evacuated the smoke from the building.
Crews remained on scene until 11 p.m. and investigators are looking into the cause of the fires.
St. Paul firefighters battled a fire on the roof of Stroh’s on June 9.
- Assignment: Engine 4, 7, 22, Ladder 7, Squad 1, Chief 3. RIT Assignment: Engine 8/Medic 8, Ladder 18, Squad 3, Medic 18, Ladder 8. Special Called: Engines 15 and 24 and Ladder 10 with the Air Trailer
Fire at Vacant Stroh’s Brewey in St. Paul
Twin Cities Fire Wire
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
2005 Fire - Paul Barrett Photo
2005 Fire - Paul Barrett Photo
2005 Fire - Paul Barrett Photo
June 9 – St. Paul firefighters doused a small fire on the roof of the vacant Stroh’s Brewery on the East side Thursday afternoon.
Crews were dispatched to 707 Minnehaha Ave. E., around 5:20, for a report of black smoke from the roof of a building. The complex, vacated in the late 1990s, has a variety of buildings on both sides of Minnehaha Avenue.
Engine 4 arrived to find light smoke from the roof of the multi-level building. Heights ranged from seven stories to four stories.
Ladder 7 positioned in front of the building and Engine 17 laid a supply line from Engine 4 to a hydrant east of the complex.
Firefighters attempted to access the top of the building from the interior, but found the stairs unusable. Ladder 7’s aerial was placed to the roof of the four-story side of the building and firefighters found a pile of roofing materials on fire.
Crews stretched a 2 1/2-inch hoseline up the aerial and supplied a 1 3/4-inch line that was used to extinguish the fire in minutes.
As investigators began their work, crews disassembled the hoselines and carried them back down the ladder.
A fire at the brewery in 2005 reached two alarms and the thick black smoke could be seen for miles, according to the Extra Alarm Association’s website (see last three photos).
The Sept. 7 fire destroyed the building that was often used by vagrants. Fire was through the roof of the structure by the time firefighters arrived and crews went into defensive mode.
- Assignment: Engines 4, 17 and 8, Ladder 7, Squad 2 and Chief 3
Arson Fire Damages South Minneapolis Building
June 5 – An early-morning fire in South Minneapolis on Sunday is arson, officials say.
Fire crews were called to 2121 Chicago. Ave. at 5: 11 a.m.
They found a shed burning in the rear of the building, Assistant Chief Cherie Penn said.
The flames spread to a porch and the rear stairwell of the adjacent two-story building. The vacant building housed commercial space on the first floor and residential areas on the second floor.
Penn said a second alarm was called for additional resources and to help keep the fire from spreading.
The fire was deemed arson and Minneapolis police are continuing he investigation.
Small, Smoky Fire Contained at Downtown St. Paul Building
May 12 – St. Paul firefighters were called to a smoky two-alarm fire in a downtown building early Thursday.
Units were dispatched to the former Bremer Bank building, at 360 Cedar St., at 5:55 a.m. for a report of smoke in the building.
Chief 2 and Engine 15 arrived and began an investigation. The structure features multiple levels with more than 52,000 square feet of space and is vacant and awaiting demolition for the light rail project.
Engine 15 found heavy smoke in the lobby and pulled a hoseline to the front door. Engine 6 was assigned to supply Engine 15 with water.
Continuing the search for fire, Engine 8 went to the second floor and Ladder 8 accessed the roof of the building.
As crews continued to search for the source of the smoke, a second alarm was called at 6:15.
Crews began opening windows and doors to allow the smoke condition to lift.
Around 6:20, Squad 1 reported finding a charred electrical panel in the basement and called for a hoseline.
Excel was called to the scene to shut off the power.
The last unit cleared the scene around 8:30.
- Assignment: Engines 15, 8, 6, Ladder 8, Medic 8, Squad 1, Chief 2. We don’t have the RIT and second alarm assignments, but Engines 10 and 18, Ladders 10 and 18, Squad 2 and Chief 1 were also on scene.
Related:
Breaking: Explosion at Fridley Building
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
May 10 – Fire and EMS crews are at the scene of an explosion in a Fridley industrial park late Tuesday morning.
Emergency crews were called to 160 83rd Ave. NE around 11:15 a.m. As police officers arrived, they reported a strong chemical odor from the one-story building.
Dozens of people were standing outside of the building when Twin Cities Fire Wire arrived.
It appeared that crews were performing decontamination in at least one area and several ambulances were on scene.
There didn’t appear to be any damage to the exterior of the building.
Twin Cities Fire Wire will update this story when more information is available.
Spec Plating at 160 83 Ave. NE
Minneapolis Firefighter Suffers Minor Injuries in Fall from Roof
May 4 – A Minneapolis firefighter suffered minor injuries after falling from a ladder while checking for extension at a fire early Wednesday morning.
Crews were called to a fire at a used car dealership in the 2600 block of West Broadway around 12:15 a.m.
They found several vehicles burning in the lot when they arrived.
Firefighters contained the fire before it spread to the one-story office building, according to Assistant Chief Dave DeWall.
As firefighters were checking for extension, a firefighter began climbing a ground ladder to the roof of the building when it started to slide down the building.
The firefighter fell about 10 feet and rode the ladder most of the way. Video from WCCO-TV shows the firefighter falling.
He walked to the ambulance and North Memorial EMS crews transported him. He was examined at the hospital and he suffered a few cuts and bruises.
“He did not sustain any injuries that kept him from returning to duty. ” DeWall said. He returned to duty before the shift was over.
Fire Sweeps Through Hugo Warehouse
Dawn Kichler Photo
Dawn Kichler Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
April 16 – Several fire departments were called to a warehouse fire in Hugo on Saturday afternoon.
Hugo fire crews were called to Glamos Wire Products at 5561 152nd St. N. for an automatic fire alarm around 12:40 p.m. As units went enroute, dispatchers provide the update of smoke from a warehouse and then smoke and flames from the building.
A Hugo chief went on scene and reported heavy fire and smoke showing from a large one-story warehouse. Mutual aid was called from Forest Lake and White Bear Lake.
Forest Lake’s aerial platform was used with several handlines to contain the fire.
Twin Cities Fire Wire will update this story when more information is available.
Eagan Gas Station Closed After Fire
Eagan Fire Department Photo
Eagan Fire Department Photo
Josh Grubb Photo
April 16 – A Eagan Holiday gas station will be closed today after an early-morning fire broke out in a storage room.
At 2:21 a.m. firefighters were dispatched for a report of smoke showing from the Holiday Gas Station at 3615 Pilot Knob Rd. As fire units were enroute, police arrived confirmed that smoke was issuing from the building.
The first fire unit on scene, Chief 4, reported heavy smoke from the one-story building. A second alarm was called, bringing resources from Eagan stations 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Engine 3 and Ladder 2 crews forced entry into the structure and located a working fire in the storage area in the rear of the building
Eagan Fire Chief Mike Scott said that crews contained the fire to the storage room, but the building suffered significant smoke and water damage. The business would not be able to reopen on Saturday, he said.
The business was closed when the fire broke out the cause of the fire is under investigation by the Eagan Fire Marshal.
Assignment: Engines 1, 3 and 4 Ladders 1 and 2, Rescue 6, Support 2, Chiefs 1, 3, 4 and 5 and HealthEast Ambulance
Fire Hits St. Paul Business Days After Secretary of Labor Visits
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
April 15 – St. Paul firefighters were called to a commercial building fire in the same facility that the U.S. Secretary of Labor toured earlier in the week. The fire was contained by a suppression system, but crews checked for any possible extension before leaving.
St. Paul firefighters were called to Viking Drill & Tool at 355 State St. around 2 p.m. and found smoke from the D-side of the large one-story commercial building.
A flash fire happened after an oil build up in the system. The built-in fire suppression system in the duct work extinguished the fire prior to the departments arrival, but caused a moderate smoke condition.
Crews stretched a 2 1/2-inch supply line with a high-rise bundle to the area where the fire started as a precaution.
Using Ladder 8’s aerial, crews checked the duct work on the roof and found no extension.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and her staff, along with mayors from St. Paul and Minneapolis toured the facility to see how federal grants and training have helped the business go green.
On Sept. 15, 2005 one firefighter was injured after a violent explosion caused the duct system to collapse on firefighting crews in the same building.
- Assignment: Engines 6, 15, 8, Ladder 8, Squad 1/Hazmat and Chief 3
Related
Video: Minneapolis Store Fire Reaches 2 Alarms
April 11 – Fire crews battled a commercial building fire early Monday morning.
Crews were called to the Lyndale Grocery & Deli at 2551 Lyndale Ave. S. at 12:05 a.m.
On arrival, heavy smoke was coming from the one-story commercial occupancy on a tightly packed strip of commercial buildings.
Assistant Chief Cherie Penn said firefighters conducted an interior attack on the smoky blaze. The videos below show firefighter’s taking out the plate glass windows and entering the building.
Command requested a second alarm because of the fire building’s proximity of other structures, according to Penn.
Hennepin EMS crews stood by at the scene and no injuries were reported.
Twin Cities Fire Wire 