An off-duty St. Paul officer crashed his personal vehicle into a St. Paul building early Thursday, which led to the vehicle starting on fire, according to the police department. The fire spread to the vacant building.

Alcohol was suspected as being involved in the crash and St. Paul police asked the Minnesota State Patrol to handle the investigation, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman.

A vehicle crashed into a vacant building on Aug. 1, 2024, in the 700 block of East Third Street. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Fire Department)

“This incident is deeply concerning and does not reflect or align with the values of our department or the expectations we have of each other or the people we serve,” St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said in a Thursday statement. “We are cooperating with the Minnesota State Patrol’s investigation and are following our internal policies and procedures.”

About 12:15 a.m., St. Paul officers were called to the Dayton’s Bluff area on a report of a vehicle that crashed into a building at Third and Maple streets, according to police.

Officers found a Dodge Durango partially inside the building. The driver was the only person in the vehicle.

Police noticed the vehicle was starting on fire and tried to use fire extinguishers to put out the fire, but it grew too big, Ernster said.

The fire spread from the vehicle to the building, and firefighters put it out. The single-family residence has been vacant since February 2022, according to a city list of vacant buildings.

St. Paul officers called for St. Paul Fire Department paramedics to assess the driver, said St. Paul Fire Deputy Chief Jamie Smith. The driver sustained minor injuries and declined to be taken to the hospital by ambulance, Smith said.

Police did not immediately release the driver’s name Thursday.

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