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Tunnel to Towers pays off mortgage of slain Minn. FF/medic’s home

Tunnel to Towers Foundation will pay off the mortgage for the family of Burnsville Firefighter/Paramedic Adam Finseth, who was killed alongside two police officers in a 2024 ambush

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Photos of Burnsville police officers, from left, Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge and Firefighter/paramedic Adam Finseth.

Mara H. Gottfried / Pioneer Press

By Kristi Miller
Pioneer Press

BURNSVILLE, Minn. — A nonprofit group is paying off the mortgage for the home belonging to the family of fallen Burnsville Fire Department firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth .

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation will pay off the mortgage on the Finseth family through the Fallen First Responder Home Program as part of the 2025 Season of Hope.

| MORE: Widows of slain Minn. first responders rely on each other in a year of loss

On its website, the New York foundation, which was inspired by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack, spoke about Finseth’s bravery, saying he “acted without hesitation in his last moments.”

Finseth, along with Burnsville police officers Matt Ruge and Paul Elmstrand , both 27, were ambushed in a shooting while responding to a domestic violence call in February 2024 .

Feb. 18 was supposed to be a day off for Finseth, 40. But as one of his department’s two SWAT medics, he didn’t hesitate when he was called to respond to a standoff at a home in Burnsville .

“He showed his commitment and unwavering dedication when he responded … in the middle of the night because seven children were at risk,” Burnsville Fire Chief BJ Jungmann said when he named Finseth the department’s Firefighter of the Year.

The man in the standoff started shooting at officers without warning as they negotiated with him to surrender because there were children in the house along with the man’s girlfriend. When Finseth tried to provide an officer with medical aid, the gunman also shot him. The assailant fatally shot himself. His girlfriend and the children were not injured.

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Each year, the NFFF carries out a responsibility entrusted to it by Congress: honoring America’s fallen firefighters and standing alongside the families they leave behind. In 2026, that mission is at risk.