Efforts are ongoing to support dozens of Elliot Park residents who were displaced in a fatal fire a month ago.

The American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region responded immediately to the Aug. 13 fire at the Stadium Place apartments, 1501 11th Ave. S, and bused residents to a makeshift shelter in a downtown Minneapolis church, where they were able to stay for a week or two. Almost 70 people sought help from the Red Cross in the form of resources and basic needs, including food, shelter, clothing, and personal care products, following the fire.

Everyone was out of the shelter by the beginning of September, but it’s unclear whether they were able to find temporary or permanent housing elsewhere, according to Red Cross volunteer Dave Schoeneck.

The Red Cross closed its crisis response to the fire last week.

Now the nonprofit Elliot Park Neighborhood, Inc. (EPNI) is continuing to help displaced residents, many of whom didn’t have renters’ insurance and lost everything they owned.

The Elliot Park Community Aid Fund was established to raise monetary donations for victims of the fire. More than $2,500 has been added to the community aid fund so far, plus a $48,000 grant recently awarded by the Minneapolis Foundation.

A publicly-accessible spreadsheet is being used to keep track of specific requests. There’s also a Target registry to supply victims with basic household goods like bath towels and bed sheets. 

EPNI is responsible for doling out money and donated items to displaced residents.

Building owner Dan Carlson of New Life Properties is still waiting to hear back from his insurance company about whether the 22-unit apartment will be restored or razed. He expects to have an answer in the next month.

Carlson video called in to an EPNI meeting Sept. 11 at the Elliot Recreation Center to start getting an idea of what the neighborhood might want at the site in the event of a redevelopment.

The cause of the Aug. 13 fire at 1501 11th Ave. S is still being determined. Photo by Brianna Kelly

Police and fire officials are continuing to investigate the fire, according to assistant fire chief Melanie Rucker, a spokesperson for the Minneapolis Fire Department. She confirmed that all possible causes including arson are being taken into account.

The person who reported the fire told dispatchers that someone intentionally set the fire. 

When fire crews arrived at Stadium Place around 9:45 p.m. Aug. 13 to find heavy smoke coming from the third floor and heavy fire throughout the entire rear stairwell. Firefighters were pulled from the building before they could search the upper floors "due to the volume of fire in the building and the indications of imminent roof collapse,” Minneapolis Fire Chief Bryan Tyner said during an Aug. 16 press conference.

The fire department initially reported four injuries that required hospitalization and no fatalities. Initial reports said 27 people were rescued or evacuated from the building.

Rucker told Downtown Voices that the building was searched on Aug. 14 after the fire was contained, but it wasn’t until Stadium Place’s property manager alerted the department of a missing resident on Aug. 15 that fire crews found two bodies in the rubble of the collapsed roof.

Kerry Sims, 66 and Debbie Leshelle Allen, 59 were found dead on the top floor of the building Aug. 15, more than a day after the fire. A cadaver dog was brought in Aug. 16 to ensure there weren't any other victims.

Rucker said firefighters typically don’t move heavy debris or use cadaver dogs unless someone is unaccounted for.