Detroit Lakes Apartment Residents Displaced After Saturday Morning Fire

Detroit Lakes, MN (KDLM) – A Saturday morning fire at the Pelican River Apartments in Detroit Lakes has displaced the 24-unit building at 1265 Loring Avenue.

“We were paged out for smoke in the apartments,” says Detroit Lakes Police Chief Ryan Swans0n. “Upon arrival, there was heavy smoke coming from the first floor of the building. We had a lot of apartment tenants that didn’t want to leave the building, thinking it was just an alarm call. The state fire marshall’s office is on their way to assist with the investigation.”

The fire was isolated to the first-floor apartment, and Swanson says that it didn’t take longs for Detroit Lakes Fire Department, along with the departments from Frazee and Audubon, to contain the flames and secure the building.

“With the early notification from the apartment’s alarm system, we were able to get here quickly to contain the fire to that apartment. before it was able to spread unit to unit.” Swanson said. “We had to gain access to the building through the window of the unit. Once we got in, we had it knocked down in about five minutes.”

The residents of the apartment have been displaced until officials are able to determine how bad the smoke damage is throughout the building.

“We aren’t able to allow people to live in their units until they’ve been checked out and properly cleaned, so everybody will be displaced at least through the weekend,” says Swanson. “Unfortunately, in apartments, people don’t like to get out because they think it’s just an alarm. This is why we have alarms, and people should be listening to them and get out when they go off.”

Two apartment residents were transported to a local hospital for smoke inhalation. Their conditions are known at this time.

The fire investigation is ongoing.