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Fire Damages Hastings Apartment Complex, Twice
Hastings fire crews doused two fires within a 24-hour period at the same apartment complex last week.
According to the Hastings Star Gazette the fires damaged an apartment complex on Village Trail.
On Wednesday night, fire crews were called to the first fire about 11 p.m. Fire Chief Mike Schutt told the Hastings Star Gazette that the fire started in a washer/dryer unit and
spread to the building. The fire damaged one apartment.
The second fire was reported about 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The paper reported that “this second incident was directly related to the first.” The article went on to report say that “the fire fed off the cellulose insulation…reigniting an extinguished fire when the heat finds enough air.”
Crews opened the attic and removed the insulation, causing no additional damage.
Related:
Chemical Assessment Team Investigates Threats at Woodbury and Hastings Businesses
IAFFLocal21.org Photo
St. Paul’s Chemical Assessment Team (CAT) was kept busy Monday while investigating two reports of a suspicious powder at businesses in Hastings and Woodbury.
The CAT team was called to the Home Design store at 3475 Vermillion St. in Hastings around 4:30 p.m. They found an envelope that contained white powder and had been opened earlier in the day by workers.
St. Paul Fire PIO Steve Zaccard said crews used monitors to investigate the powder and it was determined to be baking powder. The letter was turned over to Hastings police for further investigation.
The units left Hastings for the Home Depot at 8334 Tamarack Village in Woodbury for a similar report, just before 6 p.m.
There, the team investigated another letter containing threats. While no powder was evident, crews again deployed their monitors and found no traces of chemicals.
Once the incident was declared safe, the letter was turned over to the Woodbury Public Safety officials.
St. Paul Squad 1, Hazmat 1 and Chief 3 responded as the CAT team.
Truck Fire in Hastings
The Hastings Star Gazette has published a photo of Hastings firefighters preparing to contain a truck fire on Monday morning.
The fire, reported at 10:40 a.m., happened in the 2100 block of Vermillion Street.
- Click here for the photo
Related Article
Dozens Hospitalized after Randolph Hazmat Leak
Update: The evacuation order was lifted at 1 p.m., per Randolph-Hampton Chief 1.
Dozens of people have been transported from area businesses and homes following an anhydrous ammonia leak in Randolph this morning.
The leak occured just before 8:30 a.m. at the River Country Co-op facility on 291st Street.
Hampton-Randolph Fire Chief Jim Heiman told KSTP that “a cloud developed following the leak.”
According to their website, The River Country Cooperative carries products for farming and planting, including liquid and dry fertilizers, anhydrous ammonia and crop protection products.
Those who were feeling ill were transported by ambulances and buses to area hospitals for examination.
Crews evacuated the Randolph Elementary School and other nearby homes to the St. Mark’s Lutheran Church on Randolph Boulevard and one of the Randolph-Hampton fire stations.
Units from around the South Metro responded with resources for hazmat response. Ambulances from Allina, North Memorial, Health East and the Hastings Fire Department were also brought in.
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Twin Cities Fire Wire 