Bemidji house fire explosion damages homes, no injuries reported

An explosion ripped through a house and garage fire near Bemidji State University on April 16, damaging several nearby structures and forcing neighbors out of their homes, but no injuries were reported.

First responders reached the scene around 2:30 p.m. in the 15th and 16th block of Bixby Avenue, where crews found a house and garage burning in a residential area of Bemidji. All homes on the block were evacuated while firefighters worked to contain the blaze and stop it from spreading farther through the neighborhood.

Beltrami County law enforcement said no one was home when the fire started. That detail likely helped prevent a far worse outcome in a block where the fire had already moved fast enough to trigger an explosion and damage multiple structures nearby.

The scene drew concern because of how quickly the fire grew and how close it was to homes surrounding the Bemidji State University area. A bystander said the flames moved extremely quickly and sent up “plumes of dark smoke.” Initial descriptions called it a propane tank explosion and fire east of Bemidji, and later reports said the blast destroyed a home.

The exact cause had not been confirmed. Even so, the incident showed how fast a residential fire can turn into a neighborhood emergency, especially when an explosion reaches surrounding buildings before firefighters can fully knock it down. For residents along Bixby Avenue and nearby streets, the damage was a close call that could have been much worse.