Fire officials say a Friday night fire that broke out in the attic space of Patrick McGovern’s Pub on West 7th Street may have been caused by downed electrical lines in front of the building.

The fire broke out shortly before midnight in the attic space above the third floor of the building at 225 West 7th Street in St. Paul and extended to the roof, said Jamie Smith, a spokesman with the St. Paul Fire Department. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and a search of the building confirmed anybody inside had escaped. The building has extensive water damage throughout, Smith said.

There were power lines down in front of the building and the early investigation is “pointing towards direct electrical contact from the downed electrical lines,” Smith said, noting that the department was still investigating what caused the power lines to go down.

The pub’s Facebook page claims a hit-and-run driver hit a transformer.

But fire officials say the cause is still under investigation.

Related Articles

Man shot dead on Green Line train near Hamline Station in St. Paul

Afton man racks up $44K in fines for beached St. Croix River boat

Red Lake tribal police officer among 2 killed in collision

Missing St. Paul man with dementia has been found, authorities say

Hastings driver struck and killed after stopping to remove dead deer from road