Duluth Fire Department Tackles Multiple Structure Fires Friday Evening

DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth Fire Department responded to two structure fire calls on Friday evening.

The first call, dispatched at 6:38 pm, was to a business located at 2601 W. Superior Street. Crews were on scene in two minutes to find a refuse dumpster and a recycling dumpster on the exterior of the building on fire.

According to the City of Duluth, the fire started to burn the exterior of the structure, but crews from Lincoln Park, Headquarters and Spirit Valley were able to knock the fire down before it reached the interior of the building.

Assistant Fire Chief Dennis Edwards credits bystanders’ fast response in calling 911, along with the quick action by DFD crews, for limiting the damage to the structure to just the exterior.

According to the City of Duluth, crews were dispatched again at 7:59 PM to a two-story four-unit apartment building located at 619 N Tenth Avenue E. Crews arrived on scene where the Duluth Police Department was assisting in the safe evacuation of two residents of the building.

Crews from UMD, Headquarters and Lincoln Park found heavy smoke on the first floor of the building and quickly advanced lines into the structure to knock down the fire.

The fire was contained to just one unit inside the structure, but all four units sustained smoke damage.

One cat was present inside the structure and survived by taking refuge under a bed in a neighboring apartment. No residents are reported to be displaced by the fire.

Fire and smoke damage to the structure is estimated at $20K.