Weekend fires in Minnesota leave four people dead
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Separate fires in Minnesota on Sunday left four people dead.
Two people died in a midday garage fire in St. Paul, and two people died in a late-night house fire near Pine City.
Pine City fire
The fire near Pine City was reported just before 11 p.m. Sunday on the 25000 block of Blackberry Lane.
The Pine County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that first responders found the building engulfed in flames. Fire crews later found two people dead inside the home.
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The identity of the victims is being withheld pending positive identification by a medical examiner. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
St. Paul fire
Fire crews were dispatched around noon Sunday to a report of a detached garage on fire on the 1800 block of Sims Avenue, just east of White Bear Avenue.
The Saint Paul Fire Department said in a news release that the garage was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived. The fire was quickly extinguished, and crews found two men dead inside the garage.
Authorities said they believe the fire started when a space heater was accidentally knocked over. It appeared that the flames blocked the only exit, trapping the two men inside.
St. Paul Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Smith said one man was the homeowner’s son, and the other was his friend. They had been living in the garage at the time of the fire. Their names have not yet been released.
The two deaths are the first fire fatalities of the year in St. Paul. The city averages two to three fire fatalities each year.