Archive
Residents Rescued by Ladder in Eagan Apartment Fire
Twin Cities Fire Wire
Josh Grubb Photo
Josh Grubb Photo
Josh Grubb Photo
Josh Grubb Photo
June 6 – Firefighters rescued several residents from their decks as fire damaged a large apartment building in Eagan on Monday evening.
Units were called to the LeMay Lake Apartments at 3025 Eagandale Ave. at 6:16 p.m.
When firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire showing from the main entrance to the three-story, 106 unit building. The fire was extending into the third floor commons.
According to scanner traffic, firefighters used a deck gun to knock down the heavy fire conditions.
Firefighters rescued several residents, whose escape route was blocked by flames, by ladder from their balconies.
“Crews did a good job with a quick attack preventing the fire from reaching the attic area,” said Eagan Fire Chief Mike Scott.
Two firefighters were treated at the scene of heat exhaustion by HealthEast crews.
“With the extreme warm temperatures, I called for additional assistance,” said Scott. Mutual aid was received from Apple Valley, Mendota Heights and Rosemount.
Firefighters were on the scene after midnight, checking for hot spots.
The occupants were not allowed to return to the building because of the smoke damage.
Scott said the fire started near the main entrance, but the exact cause has not been pinpointed.
Inver Grove Heights Fire Injures Resident
May 10 – Firefighters from the south metro battled a late-night house fire in Inver Grove Heights that left one resident with injuries on Tuesday.
Inver Grove Heights (IGH) firefighters were called to a house fire in the 10300 block of Barnes Way at 11:42 p.m. Eagan (EFD) was also dispatched on an auto-aid.
IGH Chief 1 and Eagan Chief 5 arrived to find flames leaping high from the roof of the garage attached to a one-story rambler home. “The flames must have been over 20 feet high when we got there,” Inver Grove Heights Chief Judy Thill told Twin Cities Fire Wire.
The only occupant of the home had evacuated and was being tended to by a HealthEast Ambulance crew.
Arriving together, IGH Engine 11 set up for fire attack and Eagan Engine/Tanker 5 set up for water supply.
Using handlines, Engine 11’s crews began a defensive attack on the garage. Once the heavy volume of fire was knocked down, Thill said crews moved inside the home to cut off the fire extension.
The home is located in an area with no hydrants.
Firefighters set up two drop tanks and EFD Engine 5 started to siphon water from the tanks. IGH Tankers 14 and 36 arrived and dumped their tanks before proceeding to the fill site at city hall, almost three miles away.
Mutual aid was called from Mendota Heights and Rosemount for additional tankers.
Inside the home, crews pulled ceilings to access the fire. “The crews did a great job of getting to the fire inside the attic and stopped it about half-way through the home.”
Thill said the home was suffered heavy smoke and water damage and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The last crews left the scene just after 2:30 a.m.
A crew from South Metro Fire was called first respond on a medical call during the fire.
Click here for aftermath photos from Inver Grove Heights Patch.
The Twin Cities Fire Service in the News – March 31
First Responders Awarded for Life Saving Actions
Eight first responders were given life saving awards for their actions at a house fire in Apple Valley on Feb. 4. Firefighters Trudy Hagert, David Kennedy, Sam Seal and Nick Torrini started CPR on a resident after he collapsed while crews investigated a fire in his home.
Allina Paramedics Katie Kuenzi and Albert Reiff gave advanced cardiac life support intervention and police officers assisted in the save, Apple Valley Fire Chief Nealon Thompson told the Apple Valley Patch.
- Read the story and view the video here.
Grant Provides Medical Training for East Bethel Firefighters
A 2009 Staffing Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant provided the funding to get half of the East Bethel Fire Department’s firefighters trained at the EMT level, according to ABCNewspapers.com.
Chief Mark DuCharme said the $346,750 grant, which is spread over four years, provided the training for medical emergcnies, which accounts for more than half of the department’s calls.
“This is something we could not afford without the grant,” DuCharme told the paper.
- Read the story here.
Edina Fire Blotter
The Edina Patch has published an extensive list of emergenicies that Edina fire crews were called to between March 14 – 20.
Firefighters responded to more than 70 EMS calls, several crashes and assisted area departments at two major incidents.
- Read the story here.
South Metro Fire Looking at ‘Crash Tax’
The South Metro Fire Department is considering a “crash tax,” according to an article in the Pioneer Press.
They are considering charing non-residents $577 for responses to serious accident scenes. This could open the door for additional fees at other rescue incidents.
Several departments in the metro have already implented simialr taxes. The article says that Minneapolis created $129,000 in revenue from such fees. St. Paul brought in more than $30,000 in fees.
- Read the story here.
Two Veteran Bethel Firefighters Retired
Fire Chief Shane Swedeen firefighter Gary Fox retired from the department after more than 60 years of responding to emergencies in Bethel.
According to ABC Newspapers.com, Sweeden served for 20 years and Fox gaves 46 years of service to the community. Both joined the department after witnessing fires while they were young.
The two talk about the ups and downs of being a firefighter in the small community in the artice.
- Read the story here.
Bethel Names New Fire Chief
David Arcand, a six-year member of the Bethel Fire Department, was tapped to lead the department in January.
The new chief talks with ABCNewspapers.com about his goals for the department, which operates on an annual budget of $28,000. He hopes to apply for grants, increase fundraising efforts and raise the department’s ISO rating, which is currently a nine.
- Read the story here.
Rosemount Honors Emergency Responders
Rosemount named Fire Captain Mike Reis as firefighter of the year, the Rosemount Patch reports. He has been a member for 29 years and has served in several capacities.
- Read the story here.
Rosemount Home a ‘Total Loss’
March 8 – Three departments battled a house fire in Rosemount early this morning.
Units were called to 12232 Akron Ave. after receiving a 9-1-1 call from a passerby reporting a home in the woods that was on fire, according to the Extra Alarm Association’s Facebook page. Firefighters from Inver Grove Heights and Eagan were called to assist.
When police and fire units arrived, the home was fully involved. KSTP-TV reported that the male occupant escaped the home.
TwinCitiesFireWire.com will update the story when additional details are available.
Related:
Apple Valley Resident Sets House on Fire
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Apple Valley units were dispatched a reported dwelling fire in the 4700 block of 142nd Street West about 9:15 a.m. Thursday morning.
Apple Valley Chief 1 acknowledged the call and reported smoke in the distance and Empire dispatch advised that it was reported through a call from a crisis center. The occupant poured gas throughout the home.
As units arrived, they found heavy smoke and fire showing from the two-story split-level home. A neighbor told TwinCitiesFireWire.com that the rear of the home was engulfed when they came outside their home.
A defensive attack was was used to knock down heavy fire conditions in each area of the home. The fire burned through the roof in the rear of the structure and the roof collapsed above most of the structure.
Crews cuts an access hole in the roll-down garage door to attack the fire. A ground ladder was placed to a second floor window where a handline played water onto a stubborn pocket of fire.
The fire was declared under control at 10:30 a.m.
According to local media, the female resident of the home, Rhonda Arkley, set the fire after an argument with her husband Stuart. When police arrived, she drove from the scene causing police to chase her.
She was later pulled over in Eagan and it was discovered that she injured herself.
Mr. Arkley was also removed from the scene with burn injuries.
- Assignment: Apple Valley Engines 1, 11, 2, 3, and new E3, Ladders 2 and 3, Brush 2, Chiefs 1 and 3, Incident Command Van, Rosemount Engine 21 and Brush 12
Related Articles:
- Initial Report: Apple Valley Crews Find Home Well Involved
- Police: Woman Sets Home On Fire, Threatens Suicide
- Police: Woman Sets House on Fire, Stabs Self With Screwdriver
- Apple Valley woman sets home ablaze, stabs herself, police say
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Apple Valley Crews Find Home Well Involved
Twin Cities Fire Wire Photo
Apple Valley units were dispatched a reported dwelling fire about 9:15 a.m. Thursday morning. Apple Valley Chief 1 acknowledged the call and reported smoke in the distance.
As units went enroute to the fire in the 4200 block of 142 Street West, they were advised that it was reported through a crisis center call. The occupant poured gas throughout the home.
As units arrived, they found heavy smoke and fire from the two-story split-level home.
A defensive attack was initiated with hoselines around the structure. Command reported that sections of the roof were collapsing within 20 minutes.
The fire was declared under control at 10:30 a.m.
We’ll update with additional photos and text later today.
- Assignment: Apple Valley Engines 1, 11, 2, 3, and new E3, Ladders 2 and 3, Brush 2, Chiefs 1 and 3, Incident Command Van, Rosemount Engine 21 and Brush 12
Twin Cities Fire Wire 