Two people were hospitalized after a fire broke out in an outdoor dumpster Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn Center and spread to a nearby apartment building.
One person taken to the hospital was in critical condition, said Brooklyn Center Fire Chief Todd Berg.
The fire started just after 1:30 p.m. at the Crest Apartments in the 6200 block of Shingle Creek Parkway. Flames quickly engulfed the dumpster and extended to the 122-unit high-rise, Berg said.
Residents from several floors were evacuated, some were relocated to the Brooklyn Center Community Center and others waited on a Metro Transit bus sent to the scene, the chief said.
Residents in one unit were not able to return home. They are being helped by the Red Cross, Berg said.
Crews from Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Fridley, Robbinsdale and the West Metro fire departments extinguished the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation and the total amount of damage has not been fully determined, Berg said.
