Arson Investigation At 2031 Queen Ave. N. Still Open...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

The vacant house fire at 2031 Queen Ave. N. continues to be under investigation, which means it's pretty much like all the other arson investigations in North Minneapolis. But as I was looking through some of the pictures I took that night--including this piece of debris that fell from the sky and landed a block away, flaming--and you can get an idea of its size from the adult-sized glove print to the right--I thought it might be good to mention it again, pointedly.

Arson investigation. Still open.

This blog would be very interested to know what insurance was on that house and who was the beneficiary of the insurance.

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More Info On The Home At 2031 Queen Ave. N., Destroyed By Fire...

Above, a melted window next door at 2027 Queen Ave. N.
Above, the remains of 2031 Queen Ave. N.
Arson placards were posted at the scene

Photos and blog post by John Hoff

The home destroyed by fire at 2031 Queen Ave. N.--an address which has now been positively confirmed despite some uncertainty on the night of the fire, click here for previous blog post--was once for sale for $149,900. However, at the time of the fire the listing had been long expired.

A visit to the scene some nights later revealed that the house next door at 2027 Queen Ave. N., which...

...firefighters fought valiantly to save, is actually and ironically a CONDEMNED HOUSE. The fire at 2031 Queen Ave. N. was so hot it melted one of the windows at 2027 Queen Ave. N., photographed above. I could not determine whether the window was glass or plastic.

Also, I couldn't help but notice SOMEBODY (whether it was county, city, or some private entity) had lost no time dumping excess snow on the newly vacant lot.

Scrutinizing the city's records on this property turns up an interesting anomaly: the building was placed on the vacant building registration on February 4, 2011. This was AFTER the fire.

Vacant House On The Odd Side Of 2000 Queen Ave. N. Destroyed--Two Men Witnessed Running From The Scene

Videos and blog post by John Hoff

A vacant house at 2031 Queen Ave. N. in Minneapolis was destroyed by fire on February 2, 2011, at about 10 PM. This address is not 100 percent confirmed due to confusion on the scene about the precise location. Clearly, the actual numbers on the house were burned the hell up, but the last odd side house on that block seems to be 2031 Queen Ave. N. based on Minneapolis property records, which also contain information about the house being vacant.

Two males were seen running from the house and getting into a late model truck, according to a high ranking police source. Neighbors on the scene said squatters had periodically occupied the house. An equally vacant house in close proximity--believed to be 2027 Queen Ave. N.--was saved only by the quick and skillful work of Minneapolis firefighters.

Johnny Northside blog received word of the house fire through a Facebook posting by a Northside revitalizer and rushed to Queen Ave. N. with a video camera. The house was more flame than house by the time...

...I arrived, just in time to see the total collapse of the structure. Sparky debri flew up with a massive column of smoke and steam, then drifted down to earth in little fireballs. At least one piece was bigger than the hand of an adult, and landed half a block from the fire.