1 Dead, a Dozen Displaced After Fire at Wadena Apartment Complex

Courtesy: Wadena Chamber of Commerce

A fire at a Wadena apartment complex on Sunday killed on person and displaced a dozen others.

Fire crews from Wadena and Verndale were called to the scene at 123 Bryant Avenue in Wadena just before 11 p.m. and battled the fire in frigid temperatures throughout the night and well into Monday morning. According to the Wadena Fire Department, the subzero temperatures and wind chills made firefighting efforts more difficult, causing four trucks and two ladders to freeze up.

Crews remaining on the scene until yesterday afternoon. The name of the person who died in the fire is not being released until family members are notified.

The Wadena AmericInn is serving as temporary housing for the 12 displaced residents. Six other residents were displaced from a nearby apartment at the time of the fire but were expected to be able to return.

Efforts to help those who have been displaced are ongoing, as because it was a rapid evacuation, they lost everything, including wallets, credit cards, keys to vehicles, and also pets. The Initiative Foundation has partnered with community leaders to establish the Wadena Fire Recovery Fund, which supports response and recovery efforts and will be used to help fire victims. It also aims to fill resource gaps during long-term recovery efforts.

Donors can give today to the Wadena Fire Recovery Fund at the GiveMN website. Organizers are encouraging people to direct their donations to the fund instead of what they call “well-intentioned but often fraught” crowdfunding sites. They say that unlike those sites, gifts to the Initiative Foundation-hosted fund are tax deductible and supported by a fiduciary responsibility to direct 100% of the resources to relief and recovery efforts.

Wadena Human Services is also accepting gift cards to Walmart to purchase coats, boots, and toiletry items.

Also this evening, Gov. Walz issued an executive order authorizing the National Guard to provide temporary shelter for residents who have been displaced.