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1 Killed, Firefighter Injured In 2 Overnight Mpls. Fires

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- One person is dead and one firefighter suffered minor injuries in two separate fires in Minneapolis overnight.

The two fires were also called in minutes apart, stretching the resources of the Minneapolis Fire Department. This is the second deadly fire in Minneapolis this year.

Firefighters also had to battle with overnight temperatures that dipped well below zero.

The first fire call came in from 1631 Newton Ave. N., where three residents managed to make it out unharmed. Minutes later, a 911 call came from the city's south side.

When firefighters arrived at 2427 Pleasant Ave. S., they found a raging fire in an upstairs bedroom. Crews pulled one man out of the home, but he later died.

While the cause of this fire has not been determined, friends of the victim -- who did not want to be identified -- say they suspected smoking might be a cause.

There was another deadly fire in Minneapolis just nine days ago. Mike Klingelhoets, 46, died of smoke inhalation after a fire at his north Minneapolis home.

Last year was also a deadly one for winter blazes. Three people died on Jan. 1 in the Cedar Riverside apartment fire, and five children were killed in north Minneapolis in a blaze on Valentine's Day.

Firefighters say winter is a tough season to fight fires due to brutal cold. The biggest danger in these frigid temperatures is serious falls from the instant ice created by all the water, says Minneapolis Fire's Deputy Chief Todd White.

"It'd be just like if you went home, turned on your garden hose and sprayed your driveway down. It would ice up in a matter of seconds, within a minute," White said. "Then you couldn't get your car up and down and you would slip all over."

One firefighter suffered a minor knee injury in the Newton Avenue fire.

The name of the man who died at the home on Pleasant Avenue has not yet been released.

The causes of both fires are under investigation.

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