An early Saturday morning fire in a bed and breakfast in New Ulm, Minn., killed six occupants and injured at least four more, according to The Free Press, a regional newspaper in Mankato, Minn.
The fire was reported by a passerby at 1:44 a.m. by a passerby, according to the newspaper. When volunteers from the New Ulm Fire Department arrived, the Bohemian Bed and Breakfast was nearly fully involved, the newspaper reported.
Three people were pulled from the second floor by firefighters using ladders and one person fled. Firefighters made several attempts to enter the house, but the heat was too intense, according to The Free Press.
It took two and a half hours to get the fire under control and firefighters spent hours with the state’s fire marshal looking for the cause.
The names of the victims including those injured, have not been released, although the newspaper reported that two of the victims who were transported to the hospital for treatment of injuries have been release while two more were airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center for further treatment.
The investigation will be led by the New Ulam volunteer firefighters and the town’s police department with assistance from the fire marshal’s office as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), reports indicated.
The building, built in 1899, had working smoke detectors and had been inspected in December with no deficiencies noted.
