Fergus Falls Fire Department Battles an Apartment Fire in Subzero Temperatures Wednesday Afternoon

Fergus Falls Fire Department battled subzero temperatures as they fought a fire at the Westridge Apartments at 1515 Collage Way Wednesday afternoon.

The fire call came in around 3 in the afternoon, and fire crews were able to have it contained by 4pm.

Officers from the Fergus Falls Police Department arrived on scene and noted flames and heavy smoke coming from the southeast corner of the third floor and began evacuating tenants.

One resident was trapped in an adjacent apartment on the third floor and had to be rescued by ladder out of a window by firefighters.  Four other people were also found trapped by heavy smoke on the third floor of the building and had to be led to safety.

One male and two females were transported to Lake Region Healthcare, suffering from smoke inhalation.  Their condition is not known at this time. The cause and origin on the fire is unknown at this time, but most of the fire damage is in the kitchen.

Fergus Falls Fire Chief Ryan Muchow said they called in mutual aid from the Elizabeth and Underwood fire departments because of the building. “It’s a fire in a multi-family apartment building. And also with the temperatures. Our rotation cycle is a lot shorter in these cold temperatures just to get our firefighters warmed up.”

Chief Muchow went on to say “First and second floor are intact. There’s some minor to moderate smoke damage on the second-floor hallways. Third floor however did sustain quite a bit of smoke damage and heat damage in the hallway. We’re very fortunate that fire crews were able to keep the fire damage to the one unit. However, the apartment door was open which resulted in some heat and some significant smoke on the third floor.”

All 24 units of the complex had to be evacuated for the night. Most of the displaced families will be spending the night in area hotels.

The State Fire Marshal’s office is assisting the Fergus Falls Fire Department in investigating the fire.

The Fergus Falls Fire Department was assisted by the Underwood Fire Department, Elizabeth Fire Department, Ringdahl Ambulance Service, Fergus Falls Police Department, Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol.

No firefighters were injured.