Firefighters: Girl, 16, In Hospital After St. Paul House Fire

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 16-year-old girl is in the hospital after firefighters rescued her Thursday afternoon from a St. Paul home that was on fire and full of smoke, authorities say.

The girl, who has not been named, was brought to the hyperbaric chamber at the Hennepin County Medical Center, the St. Paul Fire Department said. She is in critical condition.

Firefighters found the girl on the second floor of a house on 974 Earl Street just after 3 p.m. She was not breathing when found, so firefighters gave her CPR. Paramedics, along with two doctors, gave her emergency treatment and then brought her to the hospital.

Authorities were first alerted to the fire when a neighbor called 911, reporting that smoke was rising from the back of the house.

The department said the home's first floor kitchen had caught fire and that the rest of the house sustained significant smoke damage. It is now uninhabitable, and damage is estimated at $10,000.

The house had several smoke detectors, authorities said, but it is not known what role they played in the incident or why the teen was unable to escape the house.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.