MINNEAPOLIS — A mixed-use building with a restaurant on the first floor and apartments above has been shuttered and declared uninhabitable after it was gutted by fire early Friday.
Minneapolis Assistant Fire Chief Melanie Rucker says crews were dispatched just before 5:30 a.m. to 605 Cedar Ave. South after reports of heavy fire on the building's exterior.
Crews knocked down flames coming from the restaurant's grease vent and entered the building, where they found more fire in the kitchen's interior grease chute. Flames had also jumped into the ceiling, walls and second floor hallways.
After extensive overhaul, which is the process of searching for hidden fire extension by opening walls and ceilings, firefighters were able to extinguish the flames.
An online search links the Masha Allah Restaurant to the address at 605 Cedar Ave. S, but that has not been independently confirmed.
First responders were not able to locate tenants of the building, so the Red Cross was not called in to assist.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.