DULUTH — A woman and her adult son died in Saturday's apartment fire in Duluth, the third fatal fire at the Central Hillside building in as many years.
Michelle Kathleen Olson, 52, and Patrick Arthur Olson, 24, were killed in the early morning fire at 631 E. 3rd St., the Duluth Fire Department said Monday night.
The family lived on the second story of the eight-unit complex. Michelle Olson died at a hospital after being evacuated through a window and given life-saving measures. Patrick Olson was found dead later, after firefighters had to suspend rescue efforts when the room rapidly ignited.
Firefighters were able to rescue other tenants; some escaped on their own.
Two firefighters were burned during the rescue and treated at urgent care and released.
At a Saturday news conference, Deputy Chief Jon Otis said the structure previously had fatal fires in August 2020 and April 2021, and both were determined to be accidental. The cause of Saturday's fire is being investigated by the Duluth and state fire marshal's offices.
Otis said the building was licensed as an apartment building and was due for a triannual inspection in August, but it had no open code violations at the time of the most recent fire.
The two preceding fatal fires were contained in small areas within the solid brick structure, but Otis said Saturday's fire would likely require the building to be demolished because it destroyed more than half the building's roof.
