After the battle was lost and the cities were evacuated, Grand Forks was devastated by Saturday, April 19. At 4:15 p.m., a fire was reported in the downtown Grand Forks Security Building at this site. Amid four-foot freezing flood waters, firefighters first rescued 40 apartment tenants who had not evacuated, then returned to confront major obstacles as the floodwater stalled fire trucks and submerged hydrants had no pressure. Airbase personnel again came to the rescue with flatbed trucks to ferry fire equipment into place, and planes and helicopters dropped fire retardant. Two days later the fire was brought under control, but not before it destroyed eleven buildings across two city blocks in the heart of downtown Grand Forks, leaving a scene that resembled a war zone.