Five dead, three hurt in ‘devastating’ Minneapolis high-rise fire
MINNEAPOLIS — Five people died when a fire broke out on the 14th floor of a public housing high-rise in a heavily immigrant neighborhood of Minneapolis early Wednesday, with one city official describing the aftermath as “horrendous.”
The cause of the blaze in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood — in part of Minneapolis known as Little Mogadishu for the many Somali immigrants who have settled there — wasn’t immediately known.
Abdi Warsame, a City Council member who toured the floor that burned, expressed amazement that more people weren’t killed. The 25-story building caters to seniors and singles, meaning many older residents had to evacuate quickly down many floors.
“It was absolutely gutted,” said Warsame, who is Somali-American. “It was horrendous.”
Three other people were injured and are being treated at local hospitals; their conditions weren’t immediately known. A firefighter suffered a minor injury.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. on the 14th floor of the Cedar High Apartments.
Fire Chief John Fruetel said firefighters found heavy smoke on the 16th and 17th floors as residents were evacuated through the building’s stairwells.
Fruetel said at a briefing that the fire had a “pretty good head start” by the time firefighters arrived and found heavy fire and high heat. The victims were found in various units on the 14th floor.
“A very tragic night at the beginning of a holiday weekend,” Fruetel said. Mayor Jacob Frey, in a Facebook post in English and Somali, called the fire “devastating.”
Fire officials didn’t immediately identify the victims.
The building is part of a complex informally known as The Cedars. Minneapolis Public Housing Authority spokesman Jeff Horwich said Cedar High has 191 apartments, all one-bedroom or studio units.
Abdirahman Shire, 53, of Minneapolis, said his 74-year-old mother lives alone on the 13th floor. She told him that she was alerted to the fire by the smell of smoke, and that she ran down the stairs to escape. When she reached the lobby, only six other people were there.