Apartment House Near Downtown Rochester Damaged by Fire

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Rochester firefighters responded yesterday to an apartment house just west of downtown Rochester Friday afternoon.

The fire department as a passerby reported smoke coming from a second-story window of the home in the 500 block of 3rd Street Northwest around 5:30 PM. A downstairs tenant also told the fire department that he smelled smoke and found a fire burning in an upstairs bedroom when he went to investigate. When firefighters arrived at the scene, the man also told them everyone had safely evacuated, and the person renting the room where the fire was located was believed to be gone.

The responding firefighters saw a large amount of smoke coming from an upstairs window and a firefighter on a ladder spotted a "well involved" fire inside the bedroom. The firefighter was able to knock down the flames using a fire extinguisher from the outside ladder but a hose line was required to extinguish the flames.

Because the door to the bedroom was closed, the fire was contained to that single room. There was also limited smoke and water damage to other sections of the home but it's believed only the renter of the room affected by the fire will be displaced.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.