Members of the Grand Forks Fire Department battled a fire at a residence at 408 N. Fifth St. in Grand Forks on Sunday.
No one was hurt in the blaze, said Battalion Chief Rob Corbett, who spoke to the Herald at the scene.
One person was transported to Altru Hospital with “smoke-related issues,” said Brian Shawn, regional communications officer with the Red Cross, but “nothing life-threatening.”
The structure is divided into several rental units, housing four families, including some children, Shawn said.
He was unsure of the exact number of children, but that the “extended families” are all related, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Corbett said he did not know where the fire originated in the building or how the fire started, but that those facts are under investigation
Damage to the residence is “probably extensive,” Corbett said, but declined to give an estimate.
He would not release details as to if anyone was at home when fire broke out, saying that more information would be released later.
Shawn said the Red Cross is assisting the four families that lived in the building with food and health services and will be helping with housing needs beginning on Monday evening.
A local hotel offered housing for the families on Sunday evening.
The Red Cross would also provide alternative housing for a resident, who lives in a property adjacent to the building that caught fire, Shawn said. That person has a health issue that may be compromised by smoke and soot inhalation.
Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly before 4 p.m. on Sunday and worked into the evening.
Grand Forks police and an Altru ambulance crew were also on the scene.
ADVERTISEMENT
