MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Saint Paul Firefighters Rescue Woman and Toddler While Responding to Three Fires in 90 Minutes SAINT PAUL, MN (August 23, 2026)

Saint Paul firefighters rescued a woman and a toddler from a burning duplex Saturday afternoon while responding to three separate structure fires within approximately 90 minutes.

The first emergency was reported around 2:30 p.m. at an apartment building in the 1800 block of Magnolia Avenue East.

Firefighters arrived to find alarms sounding while residents evacuated the building. Crews located the fire and contained it to the apartment where it began, preventing it from spreading to additional units. No injuries were reported during that incident.

The cause remains under investigation, although preliminary information indicated that unattended cooking may have contributed to the fire.

Approximately one hour later, Saint Paul Fire-EMS was dispatched to a duplex in the 700 block of Magnolia Avenue East. Firefighters encountered an active fire on the first floor and entered the building to search for occupants.

Crews rescued an adult woman and a female toddler. Both were transported by Saint Paul Fire-EMS to a hospital for treatment. Authorities had not released additional information about their conditions as of Sunday morning.

One firefighter sustained a minor injury while responding to the duplex fire.

Shortly before 4 p.m., a third structure fire was reported at a single-family home in the 100 block of Elizabeth Street East.

Firefighters arrived to find the house heavily involved, with flames visible from multiple sides. Because of the intensity of the fire, crews initially fought it from outside while protecting a neighboring home from the spreading flames.

The occupants were not at home when the fire occurred. Four dogs were reported unaccounted for in the initial information released by authorities.

The causes of the second and third fires remained under investigation.

Saint Paul Deputy Fire Chief Roy Mokosso Duren credited firefighters for maintaining coordinated emergency operations while personnel and equipment were being committed to multiple incidents across the city.

The three-fire sequence placed significant demands on Saint Paul Fire-EMS, which had to maintain coverage for other medical and fire emergencies while crews worked at the three locations.

Residents are reminded never to leave cooking unattended, to maintain working smoke alarms on every level of a home and to develop an escape plan that includes every member of the household.

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