Fire damages rural home on Highway 210

A post-Thanksgiving Day fire caused extensive damage to a residence at 2737 Highway 210 last Friday. According to Battalion Chief Gordy Meagher of the Carlton Area Fire District (CAFD), a passerby noticed smoke coming from the residence around 7:59 a.m. on Nov. 25 and reported it to Dispatch.

Both the CAFD and the Carlton Volunteer Fire Department responded to the blaze, and an additional tanker was requested from the Cromwell Volunteer Fire Department since the area where the fire occurred is without hydrants.

Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke coming from all sides of the residence. Firefighters believe the fire started in the basement, and it had already burned through portions of the first floor when crews arrived, hampering efforts to extinguish the flames.

“Because of the safety hazards [due to the unstable flooring] we had to go to Plans B and C, cutting away from the outside of the house,” said Meagher.

At that point, crews were then able to quickly knock down the bulk of the fire in both the basement and the main floor of the dwelling. In all, crews were on the scene for four hours.

The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no damage estimate was available at the time this issue of the Pine Journal went to press.

Meagher said the Red Cross was called to offer whatever assistance is needed to the displaced homeowners.

Tags: carlton county, fire, updates