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Structure Fire

[Duluth, MN] This morning at 2:33 a.m., the Duluth Fire Department received a call of a structure fire at 631 East 3rd Street The first crew arrived on-scene at 2:37 a.m. and saw smoke showing on the first and second floors in the front side of the eight-unit apartment building. Tenants had been able to get an unconscious man out of the unit where the fire began and was attempting lifesaving efforts.  When Rescue 1 arrived on-scene, they took over rescue efforts. Shortly after arrival, the man was taken by Mayo Ambulance to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead. His name is being withheld at this time until the first of kin can be notified.

One Engine and One Tower knocked the fire down in the apartment where the fire had started, and continued to fight the fire up the stairs and into the cockloft (a small space created when a roof is raised above the level of the flat beams to provide a pitch to drain rain and a vented space to reduce top –floor temperatures). Crews then laddered the building and found that fire in the cockloft, at which time they then cut a hole into the roof to eliminate the fire from spreading across the roof. The crews then overhauled the building for hot spots. The fire was under control in twenty-minutes.

The Red Cross was on scene and gave displaced residents resources for the next few days. Damage to the building is estimated at $75,000. The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation by the Duluth Fire Marshal’s Office. Any inquiries regarding this incident should be directed to their office. The cause of death is also under investigation.

This is the second fire fatality from a structure fire this year. The first occurred on April 5 at a Lincoln Park structure fire. The last fire fatality happened in 2017.

Fire companies from Headquarters, Lincoln Park, and UMD responded to the incident. The Duluth Police Department assisted with traffic control and remained on scene throughout and after the fire.

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