UPDATED: No Arrests in Night Search for Attempted-Burglary Suspects near Fireside Drive

Update (10:30 a.m. Friday): Fridley Police Lt. Mike Monsrud gave this account by email of police activity late Thursday night in the area of Highway 65 between Osborne Road Northeast and 73rd Avenue Northeast:

On November 15, 2012 at 10:49 PM Fridley Police responded to the 1300 block of Fireside Drive on a report from the homeowner that they had just chased two people out of their garage. Fridley police quickly responded and set up a perimeter to try and apprehend the suspects. Police were able to determine that the suspects had forced open the garage service door to gain entry into the garage. The homeowners heard the loud bang and opened the door to the garage to investigate the cause of the loud noise. The homeowner noticed two suspects in their garage. One of the suspects said “get outta here”. The two suspects then fled out the door they had forced open.  The only description the homeowner was able to give was that there were two suspects. He had no better description due to the darkness of his garage. A search for the two suspects included a Fridley Police K-9 unit and State Patrol helicopter. No suspects were apprehended last night. At this time there does not appear to be anything missing from the garage. Anoka County Crime Lab responded to the scene and processed the area for any useable evidence. The case is under investigation by the Fridley Police Department and the Anoka County Sherriff Department.

In reference to two fires in neighboring cities overnight, Fridley Fire Chief John Berg said by email Friday morning that a Fridley crew of four firefighters responded to a blaze at the Old Piper Inn in Blaine. Commenters at the Fridley Patch Facebook page said they saw a heavy fire and police presence at the site at 4:35 a.m., with a backhoe apparently working to find hot spots at about 7:30 a.m.

See more about the Ole Piper Inn fire from ABC Newspapers, KARE 11 and Fox 9 (includes video).

A second fire in Minneapolis, across the Mississippi River from Fridley's southwestern corner, turned out to be burning tires rather than coal piles as originally reported, according to news reports.

Original post (4:45 a.m. Friday): Fridley police confirmed overnight that they were investigating an attempted burglary late Thursday in the area of Highway 65 and Osborne Road NE. 

At 4:15 a.m. Friday, police said the case remained under investigation and they couldn't comment further beyond confirming that a helicopter had assisted law enforcement. 

Nearby Fires
Later Friday morning, scanner reports indicated two fires near Fridley: 

• Smoke was showing at the Ole Piper Inn, about two miles north of Fridley on 93rd Lane NE at Highway 65 in Blaine about 4 a.m.
• At about the same time, coal piles were on fire in north Minneapolis near the newly completed Lowry Avenue Bridge, across the Mississippi River from Fridley's southwest corner, with flames reported to a height of more than 100 feet. (See MnDOT traffic camera images.)