Duluth teen saves family’s lives from early morning structure fire

A fifteen-year-old girl is being credited with saving her family’s lives during a structure fire that happened early this morning, according to Hubbard Broadcasting’s sister station, WDIO.

"Thanks to the quick thinking of a fifteen-year-old who alerted her family to the fire, they were all able to get out of the home safely," Assistant Chief Dennis Edwards said. "If she hadn’t woken up, and notified her parents, this could have been a different situation. She was very brave."

According to a release sent by the Duluth Fire Department, the Duluth fire crew was dispatched at 12:49 a.m. to the house fire.

On arrival, crews from the UMD Station reported heavy fire showing from a second-story window on the front of a family home on the 1100 block of East 10th Street.

Crews searched the building’s two floors and basement for any occupants including two cats. The cats likely escaped the fire as they were not located and doors had been left open by the escaping residents.

The family consists of four adults and four children, all were home at the time and all escaped the fire.

One adult suffered burns to his hand while trying to extinguish the fire before exiting. He was transported by Mayo Ambulance to a local hospital and was treated and released. Damage is estimated at $75,000 to the structure and $50,000 to the contents.

The Red Cross is assisting the family who are displaced by the fire. The Duluth Police Department and Minnesota Power also assisted at the scene. There were no injuries to firefighters and the fire is believed to be accidental and electrical in nature.

The fire is being investigated by the Duluth Fire Marshal’s office.