Fire damaged a number of businesses and apartment units in downtown Sauk Centre on Monday night. The Sauk Centre Police Department says an officer was on routine patrol just before midnight when he came upon flames and smoke coming from a two-story building. The fire was located in the 300 block of Main Street South. The officer immediately called for the fire department and, with the help of another officer, began evacuating apartments on the second floor of the buildings. The Sauk Centre Fire Department arrived and made entry into the buildings and put out the flames. Police say five apartments and three businesses were significantly damaged by the blaze. Authorities helped make arrangements for the displaced residents. The Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, and no damage estimate is available. Fire departments from Melrose, Long Prairie, Elrosa, and Osakis assisted at the scene. Several other agencies, including the sheriff's offices of Stearns and Todd County, Sauk Centre Ambulance, and the Minnesota State Patrol, also assisted in the effort.