ST. PAUL – A fire at the Desjardins Apartments in St. Paul has resulted in some residents being displaced and an investigation into the cause of the fire continues to take place.
The St. Paul Fire Department was alerted to a structure fire at 10:48 a.m. on Nov. 24 at the Desjardins Apartments located at 4921 - 55 Ave.
When fire crews arrived, they found "heavy fire" coming from two windows located on the fourth floor, according to information from Fire Chief Trevor Kotowich.
"While firefighters were attacking the fire, additional firefighters rescued two people by ladder from an adjacent balcony on the fourth floor," according to the fire chief. Additional people were assisted as they exited the building while the fire was being extinguished.
"Numerous pets were also rescued and passed along to their owners, or in some cases the St. Paul Veterinary Clinic retrieved these animals and held them until they could be reunited with their owners."
The Community's Emergency Management Plan was activated at 10:50 a.m., transporting displaced residents to the St. Paul Recreation Centre. The displaced residents were also assisted in finding accommodations at hotels in the area.
Lakeland Today reached out to St. Paul Fire Department for additional information, but "because the investigation is ongoing, no further information will be released at this time," stated Kotowich.
"Fire investigators are confident a cause will be determined at some point soon," according to information from Kotowich.
