1 Dead Following 2 Overnight Fires In Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – One person is dead following two house fires in Minneapolis early Wednesday morning.

According to the Minneapolis Fire Department, around 12:20 a.m. crews received a call of a house fire, located on the 2100 block of Emerson Avenue North.

Upon arrival, firefighters found flames in the first floor living room.

Through further investigation, they found two women on the second floor. A 39-year-old woman, later identified as Navia J. Walker of Minneapolis, was pronounced dead on the scene -- marking the city's 2nd fire fatality of the year. A 69-year-old woman was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

Crews said 10 people live in the home altogether. The Red Cross is assisting the remaining victims.

The fire was extinguished by hose lines and under control by 1:24 a.m.

About 20 minutes before that fire, around midnight, firefighters were called to a house fire in the 2300 block of Howard Street Northeast.

Upon arrival, crews found the fire started on the second floor and had moved to the third floor and attic area.

Firefighters had a difficult time putting out the flames, and at one point exited the building and attempted to put the fire out from outside.

They even had to call in more firefighters to help.

"They had to evacuate because of the heat. The fire in the attic was kind of challenging. It was hard for them to get right to the seat of the fire in the attic and because it took the amount of time it did to get to the fire, we had to evacuate and attack from the outside," Officer Bryan Tyner said.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury related to heat exhaustion. Everyone in the house made it out safely.

The fire was brought under control at 3:17 a.m.

Both fires are under investigation.