Woman dies in St. Paul fire believed to be intentionally set, officials say
A woman has died from her injuries from a fire in St. Paul last month.
Officials say before 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 24, crews arrived at an apartment building fire. Firefighters on the scene had to force entry into a locked apartment, where they found heavy smoke and sprinklers going off.
Inside the apartment, firefighters found a woman with critical burn injuries. At the time, she was taken to a local burn unit. No one else was found inside the apartment.
The cause of the fire is being investigated, however, officials say there is a reason to believe the fire was set intentionally. Officials say that at the time of the fire, smoke detectors inside the apartment were either missing or did not have batteries.
The St. Paul Fire Department says this is the city's fourth fire in 2025. Last year, the city had nine deaths — the highest in 30 years.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says that smoke detectors should be placed in all bedrooms, hallways outside bedrooms and on each level of a building. Batteries in smoke should be swapped out every six months or whenever the manufacturer recommends.
