No Injuries Reported in Edina Apartment Fire

No injuries were reported following a small fire in the third floor of an Edina apartment building on Tuesday, Mar. 13.

Edina firefighters were dispatched to the 3100 block of Heritage Drive after receiving reports of smoke coming from an apartment building in the area. St. Louis Park and Richfield fire departments also responded.

Crews found the smoke emanating from the third floor of a 12-unit building, though the resident was not home at the time. Occupants of the building were evacuated without incident and a cat that had been inside of the affected unit was also safely rescued. 

The flames were extinguished with short bursts of water and the apartment was ventilated, with firefighters also opening the kitchen ceiling to ensure no hot spots were present. The unit sustained significant fire and smoke damage and the apartment directly below it in the building has some water damage, though the other 10 units were unharmed.

The fire appears to have started in the kitchen of the unit, though officials said the exact cause is still under investigation. 

Fire Chief Marty Scheerer said a staggering amount—37 percent nationally—of all fires start in the kitchen. Scheerer urged homeowners to turn off all appliances before leaving home.

The apartment building did not have a sprinkler system, something Scheerer said would have helped contain the fire and minimize the amount of damage.

"Luckily, the fire was called in early and everyone got out safely," he said.