Roof collapses in 20-unit St. Paul apartment fire

A fire tore through a 20-unit apartment building on the 1800 block of Randolph Avenue in St. Paul on Monday morning, forcing residents and neighbors to evacuate after the building's roof collapsed.^[1]

St. Paul firefighters shifted to a defensive strategy as flames spread through the structure near Fairview Avenue South and St. Paul Academy, with St. Paul police, St. Paul Regional Water, and the Red Cross called in to assist at the scene.^[1] All residents were evacuated from the main building, and neighboring properties were also cleared as a precaution, but officials said there were no injuries reported and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.^[1]

The fire broke out in a residential stretch of Randolph Avenue that includes a mix of small apartment buildings and single-family homes, prompting a large emergency response shortly before midday as smoke and flames became visible from blocks away.^[1] Fire crews initially entered the building but pulled back once the roof gave way, a standard safety move when a structure becomes too unstable to fight from the inside.^[1]

With the complex unlivable and its roof collapsed, the Red Cross is working with displaced tenants to arrange temporary shelter and support while fire investigators prepare to examine what is left of the structure once conditions are safe.^[1] Authorities have not given a timeline for when nearby residents will be allowed back into their homes or when Randolph Avenue in the area of the fire will fully reopen to traffic.^[1]

1. FOX 9