St. Paul firefighters rescued a 16-year-old girl Thursday from an East Side home that was filled with black, toxic smoke from a fire burning in the kitchen.

The girl wasn't breathing when firefighters found her in a second-floor bedroom of the home in the 900 block of Earl Street. Rescue workers immediately began resuscitation efforts to restore her breathing and rushed her to Regions Hospital. She was later transferred to the hyperbaric chamber at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

The girl had been home alone. A neighbor who saw smoke coming from the house reported the fire.

Officials haven't yet determined the cause of the fire, which caused about $10,000 worth of damage.

STAFF REPORT