Press releases

Edina Fire Department douses attic fire, cause undetermined

Edina, Minn., May 10, 2010 – The cause of a late-afternoon attic fire in an Edina townhome is under investigation as officials try to determine why areas of insulation and wood framing began burning.
 
The Edina Fire Department responded to the townhome unit in the 6300 block of Red Fox Lane just after 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 7. The home’s resident called 9-1-1 to indicate a smoke alarm in the home was sounding and report the smell of smoke.
 
Firefighters arrived within minutes to find light smoke coming from the eaves of the home’s attic. Crews entered the house through the garage and proceeded to the second floor, where a thermal imaging camera was used to look into the ceiling and locate the fire. Firefighters then entered the attic through an access door in the ceiling, where they encountered more smoke and a small fire burning through the attic’s insulation. 
 
Crews opened a portion of the second-floor ceiling and found the fire had spread to structural wood framing underneath the insulation. The fire was completely extinguished, and crews checked the surrounding insulation to make sure it had not extended further into the attic. 
 
The home’s resident indicated that a contractor had been blowing insulation into the attic earlier in the day. The workers who had been on the scene stated they did not recall smelling smoke prior to leaving the job. The fire appeared to have originated underneath the insulation and might have been burning for a few hours.
 
Additional crews from St. Louis Park and Richfield, along with Hennepin County paramedics, responded to the scene. 
 
For more information, visit www.CityofEdina.com/Fire or call the Edina Fire Department at 952-826-0330.