Robbinsdale Apartment Fire Likely Started by Cigarette
Investigators say an apartment fire in Robbinsdale Thursday evening was likely caused by an improperly extinguished cigarette.
Meanwhile, first responders credit a fire suppression tool kept in every police squad car with preventing further damage.
“Yeah, we would be talking about a whole different story. A lot more people displaced,” said Captain John Elder of the Robbinsdale Police Department.
The Fire Suppression Tool used by the Robbinsdale Police Department to help extinguish Thursday’s apartment fire.
Thursday at 9:45 p.m., Robbinsdale police and fire responded to an apartment complex on the 4000 block of 37th Avenue North and observed a fire on a second-story balcony.
As police approached the balcony, a propane tank on the deck exploded, spreading flames inside the apartment, two adjacent balconies and a laundry room.
The unit was unoccupied.
Officers then activated a fire suppression tool to help prevent the flames from spreading. Police evacuated the building as firefighters worked to put the fire out.
Nobody was hurt, but three apartments were badly damaged and five people were displaced. The American Red Cross is helping those impacted with housing and other necessities.
Related: Robbinsdale Police Get New Fire Suppression Tool
