Several area fire departments assist at a multi-alarm structure fire in Farmington, Minnesota
FARMINGTON, MINNESOTA - Around 7:13 PM on Saturday, April 22, 2023, a call came into Dakota County Dispatch for a possible structure fire at a townhome in the 1000 block of 1st Street in Farmington, Minnesota. According to scanner traffic and additionally confirmed by one of the residents of the townhome, they heard explosions coming from their garage before the fire started. The first fire units from the Farmington Fire Department arrived about 4 minutes later confirming an active fire and heavy smoke coming from the townhome. All residents in the townhome were confirmed to be out of the building and the three attached townhomes were evacuated.
One of the residents of the townhomes confirmed all the residents were able to get out safely or were accounted for, but they also reported that one of their cats was still in the townhome that was on fire and that there were two cats and a couple of dogs in a back townhome. They were not sure of the condition of any of those animals at this time. The Farmington Fire Chief was able to confirm that all the residents in the townhomes were able to get out, but he was not able to confirm the whereabouts or conditions of any pets in the buildings at the time. When asked about how the fire started, the Farmington Fire Chief said he had heard the reports about the possible explosions in the garage, but at this time he was not able to confirm what that might have been or a possible cause of the fire. A Fire Marshall was en route to the scene to investigate the fire and additional information would be available at a later time.
The Fire Chief also reported, as of 9 PM, this was a second alarm fire with Farmington Fire Department, Lakeville Fire Department, Farmington Police Department, and Allina Health all on the scene. According to the Chief, the Apple Valley Fire Department was brought in as mutual aid to staff Farmington Fire Stations as Farmington crews fought the fire. Just before 10 PM, two additional fire units arrived at the scene of the fire, one being an Apple Valley Fire Department rig and one being a Rosemount Fire Department fire rig and their crews.
By 11:32 PM, the fire command was terminated and all fire crews were reported to be back at the station. The Fire Marshall remained on the scene to investigate the cause of the fire. As soon as more information is available on the possible cause of the fire, we will be sure to post an update.
