Resident in wheelchair rescued from balcony amid house fire in Maple Grove

Emergency crews helped a stranded resident in a wheelchair escape a fourplex fire early Sunday morning in Maple Grove.

According to Maple Grove Fire Chief Tim Bush, the resident in a wheelchair called 911 around 3:20 a.m. to report that their attached garage was burning and smoke was infiltrating their home on the 9300 block of Juneau Lane North, just across from Lakeview Knolls Park.

Maple Grove police officers were the first to arrive, and they reported that the garage was fully engulfed in flames and the disabled resident had moved onto the balcony without a way to get down, Bush said.

The police officers pulled the squad vehicle next to the deck and used it as a platform to reach the resident, Bush said. Officers then used a patient transport device to lift the resident up and over the railing before bringing them to paramedics.

In all, three residents were treated for smoke inhalation. The fire displaced residents of two units of the fourplex.

Fire investigators from Maple Grove and Hennepin County are still working to piece together the exact cause and origin of the fire, but they were able to confirm on Sunday that the blaze started in the garage.