A woman was arrested Tuesday in connection with a fire that damaged a St. Anthony apartment building and forced residents to be evacuated.

The woman, 31, was booked into the Ramsey County jail on probable cause first-degree arson, according to the St. Anthony Police Department. The case is still under investigation.

From the beginning, authorities said the fire at the Equinox Apartments was suspicious.

Alarms in the building were sounding at 2:45 a.m. Friday when crews from St. Anthony and several neighboring departments were dispatched to the complex on the 2800 block of Silver Lane near a Cub Foods on Silver Lake Road. Flames were shooting out of a third-floor unit when they arrived.

Firefighters went door to door to wake up and escort residents out of the building. No one was injured, but several residents and first responders were evaluated at the scene by HCMC paramedics for smoke- and heat-related concerns.

STAFF REPORT