Residents escape Thursday morning fire on South 22nd

Mar. 23—Crews responded to two early morning fires on Thursday, which left several residents displaced and destroyed a vacant home.

Smoke could be seen billowing from the gable ends of a house before sunrise in the 2700 block of South 22nd Street. Fire crews were using oxygen masks to enter the home in the search for residents. The St. Joseph Fire Department reported that there were people in the home when the fire broke out, but they all escaped.

The Red Cross is assisting the family with emergency needs.

Morning commuters may have seen a disruption if they were traveling through the area as fire trucks and ambulances were blocking the street as responders worked the scene.

The cause of the fire has been determined to be an electrical issue. According to investigators, there were no injuries to occupants of the home or firefighters working the scene.

There was also a structure fire that crews were called to just before 4 a.m. on Thursday morning. The fire happened in the 900 block of South 15th Street. The structure was vacant and there were no reported injuries for responders at the scene.

According to investigators, the cause of the fire is undetermined due to the extensive damage to the structure, which has been labeled unstable.