15 homeless after fire burns 3-story building in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Minneapolis fire officials confirmed 15 people have been displaced from their residences after a fire torched a 3-story home on Saturday night. The fire started on the top floor of the duplex on the 1200 block of 12th Avenue South just after 10 p.m.

Fire crews were told that there were possibly people on the second floor, but by the time they searched the building, everyone was out safe.

"Crews did search and rescue during extreme smoke and heat conditions," Steve Ebert, Minneapolis Fire Department, said. "Found no one inside but displaced a total of 15 people."

In all, 6 children and 9 adults are now homeless. But the two families living in the home said they will be temporarily sleeping at a shelter thanks to the Red Cross.

Sixth-grader Cesilia Ramirez lives with her family on the lower level of the duplex, she said her family was more lucky than her upstairs neighbors.

"Our clothes are fine, our shoes are fine but the carpet is really wet and it's leaking all over," she said. "I was scared because the fire started going down and then the workers started shooting water out."

The cause of the fire is under investigation. It's unclear how much damage the building sustained.