Four Hospitalized After Minnesota House Fire

March 11, 2014
A fire in a St. Paul home sent four people to the local hospital with a variety of injuries, including cuts and smoke inhalation.

March 11--Four people were taken to Regions Hospital early Monday after a fire destroyed a St. Paul home.

The victims, who are in their 30s and 40s, sustained minor cuts and smoke inhalation, according to the fire department. They got the cuts while trying to escape; one resident broke out a window, said Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard.

There weren't any fire hydrants on the street where the fire happened in the Battle Creek area, and firefighters had to lay hose for four blocks to hook to a hydrant for a steady stream of water, Zaccard said.

The fire department responded to the fully-involved fire in the 500 block of Point Douglas Road South and made a defensive attack, according to department updates on Twitter. By 5:30 a.m., the home's roof had collapsed and the structure was considered a total loss.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but it's not considered suspicious, Zaccard said.

The fire is believed to have started on a first-floor living-room couch -- that's where occupants saw the fire when they fled, Zaccard said.

"The damage is so extensive it's going to be difficult to determine the cause of the fire," Zaccard said, adding that the fire department hasn't been able to rule out careless smoking.

John Brewer can be reached at [email protected] or 651-228-2093. Follow him at twitter.com/JBrewerPiPress. Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at [email protected] or 651-228-5262. Follow her at twitter.com/MaraGottfried.

Copyright 2014 - Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

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