2nd body found in search of badly burned Minneapolis apartment building; arson possible

Two bodies were found Thursday in the rubble during a second search of an apartment building that caught fire earlier this week south of downtown Minneapolis, officials said.

The blaze broke out Tuesday night inside the four-story building in the 1500 block of 11th Avenue S. Fire officials said they are looking at arson as a potential cause.

Dozens of residents were displaced by the blaze. Some hung out third-floor windows seeking to breathe, the blaze still raging, as they called for help. Fire crews initially ended their search with no fatalities being recorded.

But late Thursday morning, fire officials were alerted that one resident was unaccounted for, said Assistant Fire Chief Melanie Rucker.

Fire crews were directed to a fourth-floor unit, and they “searched through the rubble piles of the collapsed roof and located the elderly adult male deceased,” Rucker said in a statement.

Then around 5 p.m. Thursday, the Fire Department disclosed that a second body was found on the same floor.

Rucker said in a follow-up statement that “fire crews plan to continue searching the building while [there is] daylight. Fire crews will continue the search tomorrow with cadaver dogs to ensure there are no other victims.”

Officials have yet to release either victims’ identity.

Rucker said these are the second and third fire-related fatalities in the city so far this year.