A fire Tuesday at a downtown St. Paul apartment building injured four people, including one man who suffered serious burns and smoke inhalation.

Firefighters were called about 4:30 p.m. to a second-floor apartment fire at 538 St. Peter St., where they found a critically injured man. He was taken to Regions Hospital and is expected to survive, said Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard.

Another person in a nearby apartment suffered smoke inhalation and was in stable condition at Regions, he said. Two other people who suffered minor smoke inhalation were treated at the scene.

Firefighters also rescued a cat that they treated with a special pet oxygen mask, Zaccard said.

A firefighter who suffered an eye injury from falling debris was treated at the hospital.

Residents said the fire alarms went off but that some ignored them because they get so many false alarms, Zaccard said.

The fire, which was extinguished in about 15 minutes, was contained to one apartment in the 66-unit building, and most of the residents were able to return their homes Tuesday evening, he said. The Babani’s Kurdish Restaurant on the first floor may have suffered some water damage, Zaccard said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Mary Lynn Smith