A smoky electrical fire in the basement of a St. Louis Park office tower late Thursday morning sent hundreds of people out the exits and darkened the 22-story building, authorities said.

The Metropoint 600 building at the northwest corner of Interstate 394 and Hwy. 169 was evacuated of 800 or so occupants as firefighters dealt with “heavy, black smoke” in a mechanical room where there was some sore of “malfunction,” said interim Fire Chief Mark Windschitl.

Several fire trucks were called to the scene and were given the all-clear around 1:30 p.m., Windschitl said. Now the next task is for utility workers to restore electricity to the building, he added.

No injuries were reported. One firefighter was treated for effects from the heat, the interim chief said.

There is no initial word on what led to the fire and smoke.

“The [mechanical room’s] door was pushed out,” Windschitl said. “Something happened in there.”

Minnetonka firefighter David Greer cooled off with two bottles of water after he and other west metro firefighters responded to an office building at Hwy. 169 and Interstate 394 to fight a fire Thursday. There was no initial word on what led to the fire and smoke.
Photos by bruce bisping • bbisping@startribune.com
Minnetonka firefighter David Greer cooled off with two bottles of water after he and other west metro firefighters responded to an office building at Hwy. 169 and Interstate 394 to fight a fire Thursday. There was no initial word on what led to the fire and smoke.

No other buildings in the area were affected, he said.

Paul Walsh