A 19-year-old woman died Monday in an apartment fire in Alexandria, Minn., just 10 days after another fire at a mobile home killed two people in the Douglas County city of 13,500 people.
Alexandria's second fire in 10 days brings death toll to 3
A 19-year-old woman died Monday in an apartment fire in Alexandria, Minn., just 10 days after another fire at a mobile home killed two people in the Douglas County city of 13,500 people.
January 16, 2018 at 3:10AM
Firefighters were called to the woman's apartment in a fourplex shortly before 5:30 a.m. Two other residents in the apartment escaped by climbing through the windows. They were flown to Regions Hospital in St. Paul to be treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
Authorities said the fire started in the apartment shared by the woman and the two others. The victim's name has not been released pending notification of family members.
All of the other residents in the building escaped without injury.
On Jan. 5, two other Alexandria residents died in a fire at the Viking City mobile home park. They were identified as Rose Marie Couillard, 59, and James Willis Chandler Jr., 49.
Investigators said that fire was caused by smoking. There were no smoke alarms inside the mobile home.
Before Jan. 5, authorities said, Douglas County had not had a fatal fire in 15 years.
State Fire Marshal Bruce West said in late December that 2017 was on track to record more fatal fires than any year since 2002. Sixty-four people died between Jan. 1, 2016, and Dec. 29.
He spoke after seven people died in five fires in Hibbing, Lakeville, Ely and Marshall over the Christmas holiday weekend.
Pat Pheifer • 612-673-7252
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