Minnetrista Home Likely A Total Loss After Fire, Homeowner Escapes
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Firefighters spent the morning battling a massive fire at a home on Lake Minnetonka.
It's believed to have ignited in a garage at a home on South Bay Drive in Minnetrista. No one was hurt, but the flames and water destroyed the building.
Ask any firefighter and they will tell you every house fire has its challenges..
"We're trying to find hot spots in the building," said St. Boni Fire Capt. Jamie Burton.
At the burned home on South Bay Drive, the concern went beyond the potential for flare-ups.
"This is challenging, but the most challenging thing is the weather," Burton said.
Temperatures ranging from the teens to 20s added an extra layer of difficulty for those extinguishing the flames.
"It is cold, so we have to rotate crews in. We've had crews coming in from 10-12 departments," Burton said.
Firefighters, who were on the scene for several hours, used warming tents in between shifts.
"If we can get them inside for a bit to just warm up the hands and stuff like that, it helps when they go and do the work," he said.
The fire began around 8:30 a.m. According to a family member, the homeowner noticed smoke in his garage while leaving to walk his dog. By the time help arrived, the front of the home was in flames.
"We had explosions when we first got on scene the initial ones were probably ammunition. It felt like ammunition and then we had a couple of bigger explosions which was probably propane tanks," Burton said.
The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.