Emergency crews evacuate residents from Sioux Falls fire

Metro Communications received a report of a house fire Saturday at 1:58 a.m. that involved three occupants. It happened at 511 south Lincoln Avenue.

The initial report indicated residents could not get out of the house. Residents living in the home tell KSFY News that smoke started to fill the home. The homeowner says her daughter is disabled and she struggled to get her to safety. That's when their neighbor came to help, but couldn't.

She said that a family friend was able to run inside the burning house to help get both residents out of the home. She said that she had six animals in the home as well, three cats and three dogs. Sioux Falls Police were the first emergency crews to arrive and said they could hear the victims still inside the home.

They assisted in escorting two people from the structure fire. Fire units arrived and saw much of the fire had engulfed a garage that was attached by a breezeway.

The fire extended into the attached house and threatened another home just south of the property. Three people were inside the house at the time of the fire and were treated for minor injuries, but were not transported to a hospital.

The garage roof collapsed because of the damage and the first floor of the home sustained major fire and smoke damage. The adjacent home received damage as the north-facing side was melted off.

A total of four homes were evacuated until the scene was brought under control. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.