An investigation has determined that someone intentionally set a fire in an Elliot Park apartment building that killed two people and displaced dozens of residents this summer.

The Aug. 13 fire started in a rear entrance of the four-story building at 1501 11th Ave. S and spread through the stairwell to the roof, according to a media brief sent Monday by the Minneapolis Fire Department, which classifies the fire as “incendiary/intentional.”

No arrests have been made, and the case remains open and active, a Minneapolis Police Department spokesperson said Monday. Downtown Voices has requested a full investigation report.

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire at 1501 11th Ave. S – which was started on purpose, the caller told emergency dispatch – on Aug. 13 just before 9:45 p.m. 

Some residents on the upper floors of the 22-unit building were evacuated through their windows, with fire crews using 40-foot ladders, due to the threat of a roof collapse. Four people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation or burns.

Almost two days later, on Aug. 15, the bodies of Kerry Sims, 66 and Debbie Leshelle Allen, 59 were discovered in the rubble on the building’s top floor after the building manager reported that an elderly resident, Sims, was still unaccounted for.

Elliot Park Neighborhood Inc. has taken the lead on efforts to support residents who lost their homes and possessions in the fire and share relevant updates with neighbors.

During an EPNI meeting on Sept. 11, the building owner said security cameras caught a suspect setting the fire.