About half of Skyline Tower residents return home following weekend fire

The City of St. Paul said about half of the hundreds of Skyline Towers residents displaced by a fire last weekend have moved back in.

As previously reported, fire crews responded to the building around 12:23 a.m. Sunday for report of a fire on the 12th floor. The fire was quickly put out and no injuries were reported; however, crews were called back after the building’s electrical system failed and activated sprinklers on three floors.

This resulted in a power outage, which disrupted the building’s water and heat, and disabled its fire suppression system, fire alarms and all elevators.

The building was deemed uninhabitable, and emergency response resources were activated to help evacuate residents.

On Friday, CommonBond Communities and the City of St. Paul helped 141 households living in the building’s east tower to safely return to their units after the St. Paul Fire Safety Division of the Department of Safety and Inspections completed a safety review.

The west tower, which also has over 140 units, remains closed to residents in order for repairs and utilities to be restored.

CommonBond will continue to support the families still impacted by the displacement.

“We are grateful for the resilience of residents and staff involved in this emergency evacuation and partial return,” said Deidre Schmidt, president and CEO of CommonBond Communities. “The building and human systems worked as designed to keep everyone safe. The cooperation of all, including dozens of community partners, has minimized the disruption and displacement.” 

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