Five injured, one critically, in Eden Prairie fire

Five people were injured, one critically, in a residential structure fire on Cardiff Lane in southeastern Eden Prairie on Friday morning.

Eden Prairie Fire Chief Scott Gerber said the fire and police departments were called to the 8000 block of Cardiff Lane at 11:28 a.m.

Firefighters found one person inside the structure and rescued them while battling the blaze. The individual was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, Gerber said.

“When crews arrived, they found a heavily involved structure with fire,” Gerber said. “Crews advanced lines for fire control and were notified that there might still be somebody inside.”

The city reported on social media that all occupants were accounted for, and an infant was transported by Hennepin Healthcare to Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis. Gerber did not confirm if the critically injured person was the infant but said five people were transported, including four juveniles and one adult. The other four patients are in stable condition.

Gerber described the damaged building as a four-plex. One unit was significantly damaged by the fire, another was moderately affected, and the remaining two units had minor damage.

All the injured individuals lived in the same unit, and all except one were outside when firefighters arrived.

Speaking from the scene about two hours after the initial call, Gerber confirmed the fire was under control but noted it was challenging to extinguish.

“There’s extensive damage to the home and adjacent homes,” he said.

According to Gerber, the response escalated to a two-alarm fire, bringing additional resources from neighboring fire departments.

The initial response included the Eden Prairie fire and police departments, Hennepin EMS, CenterPoint Energy, and Xcel Energy. A first alarm brought in partners from Minnetonka, Hopkins, Bloomington, and Excelsior fire departments. The second alarm activated resources from Edina, St. Louis Park, and Chanhassen fire departments.

“We’re still on scene,” Gerber said. “Two hours into the incident, all of our mutual aid resources have been released. We just have local resources here on (the) scene.”

Regarding the cause of the fire, Gerber said, “It’s too early. Certainly, one of our investigators is looking (into it).”

He also reported one minor firefighter injury on the scene, who was not transported to a hospital and is doing fine.