No one was hurt.
The building, at 1726 7th Avenue South, was once used to house the District 742’s Riverwoods program and owned by the Diocese of St. Cloud as the St. Cloud Children’s Home, but was sold last year. The property owner is in Irvine, California.
No damage estimate is available.
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Update 8:40 a.m.
(KNSI) – Firefighters remain on the scene of a fire on the 1700 block of 7th Avenue South in St. Cloud Wednesday morning.
A search of records shows the building was used by District 742. A source with the district says the Riverwoods program was housed there, but moved to a different location in January.
It was also used by Catholic Charities for the St. Cloud Children’s Home.
A statement from Catholic Charities says they are aware of the fire on the property, and that they no longer use the building, explaining, “The Diocese of St. Cloud sold the St. Cloud Children’s Home property in the fall of 2020. In preparation for the transition to new ownership, Catholic Charities relocated the last of their programs from the St. Cloud Children’s Home to a new location in Sauk Rapids in December 2020.
“We are grateful that no client services are currently being offered on the St. Cloud Children’s Home property, especially residential services,” said Steve Pareja, executive director of Catholic Charities. “At this time, we do not know the extent of the fire, but our prayers are with the firefighters and first responders as they work to extinguish the fire.”
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Update 7:21 a.m.
(KNSI) – The cause of a fire a the site of the former Riverwoods building in St. Cloud is under investigation.
Fire crews were called to the scene on the 1700 block of 7th Avenue South around 4:00 Wednesday morning. Firefighters from several departments including St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Waite Park, and St. Augusta responded to the scene.
Per police radio traffic, fire was found in an area of the building between the school and a chapel. Firefighters could be heard explaining that there was fire in the attic and that the roof needed to be opened to get at it. There were also reported problems getting enough water pressure into the lines to fight the fire. At least one aerial hose was seen pouring water on the building.
At one point firefighters were pulled out of the building due to questions about the structural integrity of a couple of the building walls.
Some crews were allowed to leave the scene around 6:30 a.m., but it is believed crews will remain there for a large portion of Wednesday as they put out hot spots.
A search of records shows the building was once home to District 742’s Riverwoods program and Catholic Charities. Ownership is now reportedly out of Irvine, California.
The fire marshal was called in to investigate.
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Original post at 5:43 a.m.
(KNSI) – Several fire departments are on the scene of a blaze on the 1700 block of 7th Avenue South.
According to police radio traffic, St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids, Waite Park, and St. Augusta fire departments were all called in for mutual aid. Crews are fighting the fire from the outside of the building.
This building is the former site of Riverwoods which was a District 742 program. That program moved to its new location in January. A search also shows it is also formerly owned by Catholic Charities. Who owns the building now is unclear. One source says the owners may be out of state.
As of 5:40 a.m., several roads around the building are blocked off.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Jennifer Lewerenz/KNSI News
Jennifer Lewerenz/KNSI News
Jennifer Lewerenz/KNSI News
Jennifer Lewerenz/KNSI News