Update: ‘Total Loss’ in Woodbury Duplex Fire

Authorities on Monday were still investigating the cause of a major fire that demolished a duplex Saturday in Woodbury.

The Woodbury Fire Department got the call at about 4:30 p.m. April 27. No one was hurt in the fire, at the 10000 block of Kingsfield Lane, and the families impacted declined assistance from the Red Cross, Public Safety officials said.

“The majority of the structure is gone,” said Woodbury Fire Capt. Chris Klein. He called it a “total loss” for both units.

The owner of the unit that initially caught fire called 911, and the wind on Saturday made it difficult to fight the fire, Klein said. A 50-square-foot patch of grass in a nearby marsh area also caught fire.

The exteriors of nearby homes, which were evacuated, also incurred minor damaged.

The fire was mostly out about an hour and 15 minutes after crews arrived, though firefighters were there for some time cleaning up the scene and watching for hot spots, Klein said.

There were a number of people who came out to watch crews battle the fire on a warm Saturday afternoon, and Woodbury reserves and community service officers were called in to keep the crowd back, said Michelle Okada, Woodbury Public Safety spokeswoman.

Crews from Cottage Grove, Oakdale, Lake Elmo and the Lower St. Croix Valley also responded.

“They did a nice job of helping,” Okada said.

While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, there doesn’t appear to be anything suspicious at this point, Klein said.

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