Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Plymouth Resident 'Lost Everything' in Early Morning Apartment Fire

Multiple fire departments responded to a fire at Granite Woods Apartments in Plymouth on Dec. 26.

The day after Christmas, Plymouth resident Leela Karneh is waking up to a harsh reality--everything is gone.


“There is nothing left,” Karneh said. “We’re starting from scratch right now.”

Karneh is one of the residents impacted by an apartment fire that swept through Granite Woods Apartments in Plymouth around 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 26.

When she started to smell smoke, Karneh said she and her husband grabbed their baby and rushed to their car to escape the flames.

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Burnt couches, scorched baby toys, diapers, burnt pillows and clothes littered the frozen lawn near the three destroyed apartment units.

Golden Valley Fire Chief Mark Kuhnly said that the Golden Valley Fire Department provided assistance to the Plymouth Fire Department during the incident, along with Hopkins, St. Louis Park, Minnetonka, Wayzata and Eden Prairie Fire Departments.

“We sent engine and ladder crews and they did a variety of different tasks to help suppress the fire,” Kuhnly said.

Plymouth Fire Chief Rick Kline said that two of the three apartment units destroyed in the fire are a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

While Kline said that there are no injuries, for Karneh, the fire adds to an already difficult holiday season.

On Dec. 15, Karneh said she flew to Michigan for her mother’s funeral. Now, she’s staying at her grandmother’s house in Brooklyn Park while she and her family sort things out.

“I don’t know what happened,” Karneh said. “Now, we have nothing.”

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Karneh and the other two families are currently receiving aid from the Red Cross.


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