Randolph Terrace Apartments fire: St. Paul building demolished after attic blaze collapses roof

The fire started shortly before 8:30 a.m., FOX 9 reported, citing the St. Paul Fire Department. Crews saw little fire from the street, but it had already spread through the attic above the top floor, a space they struggled to reach. Firefighters searched all 20 units and got everyone out, then pulled back and fought the fire from outside as the roof gave way. No injuries were reported.

Fire officials told FOX 9 the building had no sprinkler system and that the fire code did not require one. City records cited by MPR News list 20 apartments on three stories and a garden level, and officials put the building's age at about 100 years. Under Minnesota's current building code, new apartment buildings must have sprinklers throughout unless they contain less than 4,500 square feet of residential space.

With several floors collapsed inside, the building was declared a total loss. Demolition began Tuesday after a final walkthrough and was expected to take about eight hours, Deputy Fire Chief Steve Holmes said. Debris will sit on the lot for roughly two weeks for hazardous-materials testing before going to a landfill. Randolph Avenue was shut from Fairview Avenue to Howell Street while crews worked, and residents were not allowed back in for their belongings.

The cause is under investigation. According to Deputy Fire Chief Jamie Smith, the fallen floors and the volume of water poured on the fire will make it harder to find. One resident told FOX 9 that lights in the building dimmed through the night before the fire; officials have not said whether wiring played a role. Dozens of residents were displaced, and the Red Cross is helping them.