Minneapolis firefighters face busy night amid winter weather

Minneapolis Fire Department crews responded to multiple calls across the city Saturday night as a wintry mix fell.

Around 7:15 p.m., firefighters responded to a Phillips neighborhood building near Park Avenue South and East 26th Street for an underground vault that had caught fire with visible smoke. No fire extended to the building, according to a spokesperson for the department. Xcel Energy was called to the scene.

Responders left the scene to Xcel and in the care of building management with a few crews on standby in case of popup fires.

Crews also responded to a fire at a home in the area of East 57th Street and 27th Avenue South, just southeast of Lake Nokomis. According to a spokesman, the home had caught fire earlier Saturday, around 2 a.m. and was turned back over to the residents. KSTP crews on scene saw the upper level of the house badly damaged and charred and crews still on scene at 9 p.m.

When crews arrived at the scene, there were flames visible on the second floor and fire did extend to the neighbor’s home. The cause of that fire is under investigation. No one was injured.

Also Saturday evening, firefighters responded to a gas leak at a 26-story apartment building on the corner of East Hennepin Avenue and Fourth Street Northeast.

According to the department, the incident arose from a malfunctioning heater on fifth-floor parking. About 40 people were evacuated from the second-sixth floors; all other residents sheltered in place. Crews only had gas readings on floors two through six.

Centerpoint Energy and building maintenance shut down the heater and they were able to use the building’s HVAC system to ventilate.

It is unknown whether any people were displaced.

More information about all of these incidents is expected soon. Nothing further is known at this time.