Blaze Destroys Long Shuttered Lake Street Kmart in Minneapolis

Originally published 7:31 a.m. October 20th, 2023

Updated 9:33 a.m. October 20th, 2023

(KNSI) — Fire has swallowed up the abandoned Kmart store on Lake Street in Minneapolis.

Firefighters responded to the building around 5:00 a.m. Friday. They found heavy flames already showing, set up an exterior attack with aerial ladder water towers, and called in a second alarm. More than an hour into the fight, there was still “a large amount of fire,” per the Minneapolis Fire Department social media account. More than two and a half hours after the fire erupted, they were still working on containment.

Assistant Minneapolis Fire Chief Melanie Rucker says crews will likely remain on scene for the remainder of the day Friday to extinguish hot spots. There is no fear of the fire spreading to other structures as it is relatively isolated on a ten acre plot of land.

Two sections of the building have collapsed and investigators have not been able to access the interior to determine the cause. There have been no reports of any injuries.

The store opened in 1978 and was all but closed in 2020 when it was looted and ransacked during the riots following the death of George Floyd. Plans were in the works to demolish the building next spring and turn the site into a mix of housing, retail and entertainment spaces. That will likely happen sooner as it is a total loss.

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