Explosion and fire damage homes, evacuations in Bemidji

A fire and explosion on the 1500 block of Bixby Avenue Northwest in Bemidji forced about a dozen people from their homes, damaged several nearby structures and knocked out power for hours in a neighborhood just off the Bemidji State University campus. The incident unfolded Thursday afternoon near 15th Street, turning a residential block into an active emergency scene as crews worked to contain the blaze and keep residents away from the area.

The Bemidji Fire Department was called to the report at about 2:25 p.m. and arrived to find a garage fully engulfed in flames. Officials said a large explosion then spread the fire to an adjacent structure, and propane tanks were involved in the blast. More than 50 first responders converged on the scene, including personnel from the Bemidji Fire Department, Bemidji Ambulance Service, Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota State Patrol, Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office and Bemidji Police Department.

No injuries were reported, and law enforcement said no one was home when the fire broke out. Nearby residents were evacuated during the response, with one report saying an entire block near Bixby Avenue and 15th Street was cleared. Rob Kittleson, who saw the smoke from the area, described plumes of dark, gray and black smoke as the fire grew. Power remained out in the area for several hours after the explosion and fire.

Later reporting from fire officials said the sequence appears to have started with an unattended campfire, which then led to the destruction of multiple structures. That detail shifted the focus from the immediate blast itself to the conditions that allowed the fire to spread so quickly through the property and into the surrounding neighborhood.

The investigation into the cause remained active as local agencies continued to document damage and assess the scene near Bemidji State University. For residents displaced by the evacuation, the immediate impact was not just the fire itself but the loss of access to their homes, the utility outage and the uncertainty that followed as crews worked through the block.