MINOT — An early morning apartment fire led to the death of an individual in southwest Minot on Sunday.
The Minot Fire Department says crews responded to an apartment fire at 12:24 a.m. at 1730 1st Street SW. Upon arrival, crews found smoke coming from the windows of the first floor apartment. Fire crews quickly removed the victim and extinguished the fire.
The other residents of the building were evacuated without incident, and the fire was contained to the apartment of origin. Crews searched that apartment and accounted for all occupants. Four engines and one command vehicle were dispatched to the apartment. The first engine arrived on scene within four minutes of the call.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation; the identity of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of family. The North Dakota State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting in the investigation.
The apartment where the fire originated did not have a working smoke detector. The National Fire Protection Agency estimates 94 percent of U.S. homes have at least one smoke alarm. However, 50 percent of home fire deaths occur in the 6 percent of homes with no smoke detectors.
