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2030 North Arlington Avenue • Duluth, Minnesota 55811 • www.duluthmn.gov
Public Information Officer, Mattie Hjelseth at (218) 730-5434 or mhjelseth@duluthmn.gov
SUBJECT: Victim Identified in May 29th Fire at Apartment Building on Leonard Street
BY: Duluth Public Information Officer Ron Tinsley
NATURE OF INCIDENT: Media Notification
CASE NO.:
INCIDENT DATE: 5/29/2016
INCIDENT TIME: 9:20 a.m.
INCIDENT LOCATION: 2400 block of Leonard Street Duluth
On Sunday, May 29th, 2016 at 9:20 a.m., the Duluth Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at an apartment building in the 2400 block of Leonard Street in the Piedmont area. On arrival fire crews found smoke in the hallway and reports of an individual possibly still inside the apartment. Upon entering the apartment, firefighters were met with heavy smoke and found one burn victim in the living room. They removed the victim inside the apartment and the patient was transported to a local hospital facility by ambulance service where the victim was later pronounced dead. The fire had been partially extinguished by the sprinkler system. The cause of the fire and the cause of the death are still under investigation with the fire at this point being listed as undetermined.
On Thursday, June 2nd, 2016, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim of the fire as 59 year old Alvin John Wasley of Duluth. Wasley was alone in the apartment at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire has been ruled undetermined by the Duluth Fire Marshall and the Duluth Police Arson Investigator. There were no suspicious circumstances with this fire.