Firefighters rescue two in early morning house fire

A house fire last Thursday left a Sawyer home seriously damaged. No one was injured; however, firefighters did rescue two pets from inside the burning home.

At approximately 4:45 a.m. last Thursday, Cloquet Area Fire District units responded to a structure fire on the 1200 block of Church Road near Sawyer. Upon arrival crews found the home heavily involved with fire in the front quarter of the home burning up and through the roof in the front of the home. 

CAFD Fire Chief Kevin Schroeder said crews were able to knock down the fire quickly, but the home sustained considerable damage. He thought most of the contents were saved, but guessed the home is unlivable until repairs are made.

Schroeder said all the people living at the home got out on their own, but firefighters from Stations 1 and 3 rescued a small white cat and a dog from the fire during their search of the residence.  The animals were shaken up and suffering from minor smoke inhalation but their conditions rapidly improved with care from the CAFD staff and they were soon

reunited with family and friends.

Schroeder said damage was extensive to the entryway, living room, kitchen and one bedroom of the home.  One firefighter sustained minor injuries, and crews were on the scene for approximately three hours. 

CAFD was assisted by the Fond du Lac police and Carlton County Sheriff’s Department officers at the Church Road fire.

Although the cause of the fire is still being investigated, Schroeder warned that people should be especially wary of portable heaters and extension cords at this time of the year. And definitely don’t combine the two.

“If you run a heater off an extension cord, they’re not designed to pull that amount of power and it burns out the cord,”

Schroder said.

He also advised that everyone have working smoke detectors in the home, citing a Connecticut fire that killed three children and their grandparents – the home had non-working smoke detectors.

“They had cleaned out their fireplace and threw the ashes into a paper bag,” Schroeder said. “You also see people throw ashes into a cardboard box. It has to be a metal can with a sealing metal lid.

“It’s surprising over the years how many fires we’ve been to [where] that’s the cause,” he added.

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