December 29th, 2006

A small fire that broke out at an apartment building in Burnsville earlier this month has resulted in evacuation of the building, and around 200 residents are still waiting to be allowed back in to their homes after fire fighters and authorities expressed concerns about the possibility of asbestos contamination as well as the obvious smoke damage.

According to authorities the fire started in the garbage chute at the apartment building, and although the fire was successfully put out by fire fighters the risk of smoke and asbestos contamination meant that many residents were not allowed back in, despite the fact that many had left their pets in the building.

One woman stated: "I thought it was in my apartment and so I went and got my dog. When I opened the door to the hallway, a bunch of black smoke billowed in." She was told, however, that she would have to leave the animal behind. She added: "They have no idea when we're going to be allowed in there and so like my dog and some other pets are still caught in there."

The fire marshal stated: "The main reason why so many people were displaced was because of smoke damage. The smoke traveled throughout the building and we want to make sure the building is safe before we let these people back in."