St. Paul police and fire personnel rescued people trapped in a burning building on Rice Street Saturday morning after a two-alarm blaze broke out, officials said.
Police and fire officials responded at about 9:30 a.m. to an apartment fire in a three-story building on the 500 block of Rice Street, said Deputy Chief Jamie Smith, spokesman for the St. Paul Fire Department.
When police arrived, they saw flames on the second floor. Officers helped about seven people on the first floor, which contains commercial space, escape the building. When firefighters arrived, they heard people were trapped and rescued another seven people from the third floor of the building.
The blaze was extinguished before it spread from a unit on the second floor.
St. Paul police said two officers were taken by ambulance to an area hospital to be treated for minor smoke inhalation. In addition, one occupant of the building was taken to the hospital to be treated for the same condition.
A spokesperson from the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections told officials that the building is now condemned due to the fire damage. Red Cross will work with the building management to help the 14 adults who lived in the building.
Animal control was on scene to assist with multiple displaced cats.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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