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Brooklyn Center Home Destroyed By Fire

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A fast moving fire destroyed a Brooklyn Center home Saturday morning.

Firefighters were called just before 10 a.m. to a house on 3800 block of 56th Avenue.

Crews had to stay for several hours to put out all the hot spots

Neighbors saw the flames engulf the home.

"I saw billowing smoke and large flames spewing off the shingles of the roof, pretty scary," Tom Sonquist, a neighbor, said.

Firefighters say the fire started in the garage when someone left a propane fryer unattended.

The flames quickly consumed the vehicles, the garage, and the home.

"I didn't think fires could go that fast.  That's maybe why people get in trouble because it quickly moves," Jeff Bajari, who took pictures of the fire, said.

"I really don't have an answer as to why this fire spread so quickly," Brooklyn Center Fire Chief Lee Gatlin, said.

The fire burned so hot and fast that firefighters couldn't safely get inside the home to put out the flames.

"We did what's called a defensive attack where we just attack the house from outside with water," Chief Gatlin said.

The fire spread to a neighboring garage. Crews put out that fire before it spread to a second home.

All 12 family members inside the first home got out safely before help arrived.

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