WAHPETON, N.D. - A woman was arrested in connection with an early morning fire at an apartment complex here Sunday.Yolonda Thinn, 24, was arrested around 2 a.m. Sunday after the fire at 1611 7th St. N. was first reported just after 1:30 a.m.The fire is believed to have started in an apartment unit on the second floor where a mattress was found completely burned in the bedroom.
Thinn was charged with arson, preventing arrest and hindering law enforcement.Firefighters found smoke coming from the 48-unit complex when they first arrived. Five people had to be rescued by ladder from the second and third stories of the building as smoke filled the hallways. Five more people were helped from the building, Richland County Emergency Manager Brett Lanbrecht said. Some had to be treated for smoke inhalation, but no serious injuries were reported. There is significant damage to one wing of the complex, according to a news release from the American Red Cross, which is helping at least 30 people affected by the fire.
