Vacant Ventura Village building damaged during Friday morning fire

Minneapolis fire officials say no one was injured during a fire early Friday morning in the city’s Ventura Village neighborhood.

Firefighters were called to the 1800 block of 5th Avenue South around 8:17 a.m. after smoke was reported to be coming out of a three-story vacant and boarded up apartment building.

When crews arrived, they found smoke coming from a third-floor window that had been boarded up, as well as the roofline.

No one was found inside as firefighters searched the building; however, fire officials add they found evidence that boards on the building had been tampered with and squatters had possibly been inside.

Flames were put out before they spread to other areas of the building.

As of this time, the cause of the fire is still being investigated.