Man dies after St. Paul house fire, 4 displaced
A man died early Thursday morning after a house fire in St. Paul that displaced four others.
According to the St. Paul Fire Department, crews arrived to the single family home on the 400 block of Cook Avenue East around 12:45 a.m. They found heavy fire conditions and entered the building, where they were quickly able to bring the flames under control.
Crews found a man on the second floor. The St. Paul Fire Department initially said Thursday morning that he was in cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital, where he later died. The department later updated its statement to say the man was unconscious when crews found him.
Officials say that a preliminary investigation found a space heater near the area where the fire started.
The victim's identity will be released by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office. The Red Cross is helping the four other people — three men and one woman — who were displaced by the fire.
The fire department says that the man's death cannot be ruled a fire fatality until investigations are complete. The city averages less than three fire fatalities a year, but has seen five fire fatalities in 2025, the department says.
When you use a portable heater, St Paul fire officials say to keep it three feet away from anything that's combustible, whether that's blankets, furniture or clothes.
This rule should be followed even with newer space heaters that have a temperature control device, since they can still start fires due to close objects, officials said.