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Minneapolis News
Mark Zdechlik

Sprinklers installed at first Seward Towers high-rise building in Minneapolis

fire sprinkle on a wall
Newly installed fire sprinklers in one of the 320 units in one of the two Seward Towers residencies in Minneapolis on Friday.
Mark Zdechlik | MPR News

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After five residents died in a fire in a Minneapolis high-rise building in 2019, the Minnesota Legislature allocated $10 million in 2024 to help retrofit high-rise residences with sprinkler systems.

Nearby Seward Towers received $4 million of that funding.

“We’ve been trying to make sure that every high-rise building in the state of Minnesota has got a sprinkler to make sure that we can save lives,” said Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis. “We know that one head of sprinkler can turn off any fire in any building at any moment. This is about safety.”

All 320 units in the west tower are now fitted with sprinklers. Work on the second tower is underway.

With millions of dollars still available in the one-time funding, Noor and others advised city officials to contact the state if they know of high-rise residences in need of fire safety upgrades.

“What we have requested is every city to send that information to the State Fire Marshal so that we can track if there are any buildings that have not had the opportunity to do retrofitting for the sprinklers.”