St. Paul Apartment Fire Leaves Dozens Homeless; Building Razed

A fire that began in the attic of a roughly century-old apartment building in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Monday morning left dozens of tenants without homes, and by Tuesday the building itself was gone. City inspectors judged the Randolph Terrace Apartments too unstable to enter after the roof and several floors gave way, so crews tore it down before residents could go back for their belongings.

What happened

St. Paul firefighters were called to the 20-unit brick building at 1853 Randolph Avenue, near Fairview Avenue and the St. Catherine University campus, shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 9. Smoke was coming from the cockloft, the narrow space between the top-floor ceiling and the roof. That area is difficult for firefighters to reach, and the fire spread through it.

Crews checked every unit and confirmed the building had been emptied, then switched to a defensive attack from outside as the roof began to fall in. Firefighters used ladder trucks to reach the roof as a thick column of smoke rose over the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood. Residents of two neighboring buildings were also told to leave as a precaution.

No residents or firefighters were reported hurt. Animals did not all escape: tenants told MPR News that at least three cats died, while firefighters carried out two pet rabbits and other animals. FOX 9 put the number of cats still missing at one on Tuesday, so the final toll of lost pets is not yet clear.

City records describe the building as three stories over a garden level; some reports called it four stories. FOX 9 reported that it was about 100 years old.

Demolished within a day

Staff from the city's Department of Safety and Inspections joined firefighters at the scene to check the structure. After multiple floors collapsed, officials concluded the building could not be made safe. Deputy Fire Chief Steve Holmes said the collapse left the structure unsound, and demolition began Tuesday, Nov. 10, after a final walk-through. FOX 9 reported the teardown was expected to take about eight hours.

Because no one could safely go inside, tenants lost the chance to recover documents, keepsakes and other possessions. The debris is expected to stay on the lot for roughly two weeks while it is tested for hazardous materials, after which it will be hauled to a landfill. Randolph Avenue was closed between Fairview Avenue and Howell Street during the work.

The city told KSTP that the land still belongs to the property owner, who will decide what happens to the site within zoning and building rules. The owner had not commented publicly in the reports reviewed by Renter News.

Who was affected

The displaced tenants include longtime residents and people who had moved in only weeks earlier, among them college students and university staff. Several told MPR News they got out with little more than a pet or a few papers. St. Catherine University opened a dorm room for one student who lived there, and relatives and friends have started online fundraisers for several others.

Tenant Maddy Meyers, who got her cat out but lost keepsakes of a pet that had died, told MPR News that the things that mattered most to her were gone for good and could never be replaced.

The American Red Cross was called to help displaced households with immediate needs.

Cause still unknown

Investigators have not determined how the fire started. A deputy chief told KSTP that it appeared to begin in the attic but that it was too early to name a cause. Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Smith told FOX 9 that the collapsed floors and the large volume of water used would make the investigation harder, and a department spokesperson told MPR News that being unable to re-enter the building has slowed the work. Some tenants have said they suspect an electrical problem, and one described lights dimming before the fire, but officials have not said whether wiring played any role.

A deputy chief also told KSTP that the building's alarms went off before much smoke or flame was visible, which may have led some people to assume it was a false alarm. He urged residents everywhere to treat every alarm as real.

What this means for renters

The Randolph Avenue fire shows how quickly a renter can lose everything when a building is condemned and razed, and it carries several lessons for tenants:

• Leave on the first alarm. Attic and cockloft fires can burn out of sight for some time. If the alarm sounds, get out and call 911 rather than waiting to see smoke. Our smoke alarm and escape plan guide covers the basics.
• Check that your renters insurance is actually active. MPR News reported that at least one tenant had no coverage and another found out her policy had not been set up correctly. Confirm your policy number, effective date and personal-property limit now, and make sure it includes loss-of-use coverage for temporary housing. See our explainer on how renters insurance handles fires.
• Keep copies of key documents off-site. When a building is torn down within a day, anything left inside is gone. Store photos of IDs, leases, insurance papers and a video inventory of your belongings in cloud storage.
• Know the first steps after displacement. Contact the Red Cross, your insurer and your landlord in writing, and ask about your security deposit and prepaid rent. Our first 72 hours checklist walks through what to do.

Renter News will update this story if investigators announce a cause.