WILLMAR -- Fire investigators have determined that the Friday morning fire at 404 Litchfield Ave. S.W. started in a bathroom exhaust fan in the most heavily fire-damaged apartment.
According to a news release from Willmar Fire Chief Marv Calvin, the fire started in the ceiling of the second-floor apartment and then extended into the hallways to the west and north.
A total of 19 people were displaced by the fire and are being housed by The Salvation Army and the Red Cross. The assistance is being coordinated by the United Way of Kandiyohi County.
Fire officials credit Willmar Police Officer Frank Hanson and four citizens: Rudy Vigil, Steve Peppin, Jamin Johnson-Schneider and Dale Heffron, with rescuing nine people, including two children, from the apartments. Rescuers said they heard no smoke alarms during their rescue attempts. Fire crews did report hearing smoke alarms in one apartment. The building had no central fire system.
The firefighters contained the fire in Apartment #4 to the area of origin and searched the entire complex. The building encompasses about one-quarter of a block in the heart of Willmar's downtown. Downtown streets in the area were blocked by emergency crews for about three hours.
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The Willmar department was assisted by fire crews from Benson, Kandiyohi, Pennock and Spicer, plus the county sheriff's office and rescue squad, Willmar police and fire departments and the Minnesota State Patrol.
Residents should be able to return to the building by the end of the week. Businesses located on the street level of the two-story building have reopened.
