1 dead after Inver Grove Heights apartment fire

One person is dead after an apartment fire in Inver Grove Heights Thursday night.

According to the Inver Grove Heights Fire Department, firefighters were called at about 10:43 p.m. regarding a fire at a residence along the 3100 block of East 65th Street.

Upon arrival, fire crews reported seeing smoke and flames coming from the balcony of one of the building's apartments.

According to the department, the fire was elevated to five-alarm status and crews from the south metro, Mendota Heights and Eagan responded to help.

A person was found inside the apartment from which the fire was emanating. The man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

A witness told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he could see the fire from his house and ran to see if he could help.

"The flames were visible, quite high, probably 20-25 feet over the apartment building," Tim Carrier said.

Additional information on whether anyone else was hurt has not yet been released.

The Minnesota State Fire Marshal's office is assisting with the investigation into the fire.