Two children killed in overnight fire in Mankato

Two children died and a woman was injured in an apartment fire early Monday morning in Mankato.

Crews spotted flames shooting from the upstairs apartment in the 200 block of Bradley Street around 2 a.m., the city said.

Drew Campbell, who lives half a block away, said he saw an orange glow emanating from the house, the neighborhood filling with smoke and a man weeping on the sidewalk.

“It was like a horror scene,” said Campbell, president of the Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association.

Officials said two adults and three children were inside the apartment when the fire started.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy, especially at the start of the new school year,” Public Safety Director Jeremy Clifton said in a statement. “We are working to determine the cause and will support those affected in any way we can.”

A woman was airlifted to HCMC in Minneapolis, and the man and another child in the apartment escaped without injury, the statement said.

The names of the victims have not been released.

The cause of the fire is under investigation with assistance from the State Fire Marshal.

Officials said early indications suggest the fire was not intentional.

Crews fought the blaze until 6 a.m., said Jeff Bengtson, associate director of public safety resources for Mankato.

The blaze was deemed a general alarm fire, considered to be the highest level of response for a fire department, Bengtson said.