Christmas Day fire believed to be intentionally set

On Wednesday December 25, 2024, at 2:31 PM, the St. Paul Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire located in the 5000 Block of 47 Avenue.

Upon arrival of the first-due Incident Commander, heavy fire was found coming from a basement window.

At the time, three people were seen coming from the back of the residence. It is unclear at this time if these were citizens attempting to alert anyone who may have been potentially home at the time, or they actually were in the building when the fire started.

Twenty-five firefighters responded to the fire, with the fire considered under control and all searches for occupants completed at 3:43 PM.

An initial cause and origin investigation has deemed this fire as intentionally set, and any information regarding this fire should be forwarded to the St. Paul RCMP Detachment at 780-645-8870.