Apr 16, 2009 7:30 pm US/Central
Million-Dollar Home Destroyed By Fire In Medina
MEDINA, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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A million-dollar house was destroyed by fire in Medina on April 16, 2009. Dry conditions had fire crews worried the fire could spread.
Merrill Preiss
A million-dollar home was destroyed by fire in Medina Thursday afternoon, prompting fire officials to worry it could spread because of dry conditions.
According to fire crews on the scene, the fire started at about 11 a.m. by the back deck of the home located on the 300 block of Lythrum Lane.
A neighbor e-mailed
these pictures that show flames shooting from the home. Firefighters were on the scene within 10 minutes. The housekeeper was in the kitchen when the fire broke out.
"We saw smoke out the back, we had no idea where it came from, it was just coming out below the deck. And we all started trying to put water on it and the hoses to the house, the water was turned off so we couldn't get there fast enough. It was only a couple minutes until the whole house in the back was on fire," said Robin Quast.
The homeowner, housekeeper and pets all made it out safely. The homeowner said she was thankful that her three young children were in school and that no one, including their pets, was hurt. The fire spread quickly, with the top floor collapsing into the lower level.
"I was in the dining room and oh my gosh, the windows started to turn purple and then they looked like they were going to blow out so that's when I ran out of the house," said Quast.
Firefighters say they were worried with extremely dry conditions that sparks might cause a grassfire or the fire could spread to other homes.
"We did have some issues with the mulch around some of the homes and actually the lawns. Our big concern was if we got a fire in the swamp or something like that," said Hamel Fire Chief Brandon Guest
A half-dozen volunteer departments responded to the fire. Neighbors, like Merrill Preiss who took
pictures, are stunned such a large home could be destroyed so quickly.
"Its just such a shame, I mean its really upsetting to see that happen," said Preiss.
The home was reportedly worth $1.6 million and was a total loss.
Firefighters still don't know what caused this fire. Thursday was a red flag day, meaning that the risk is really high for grass fires and fires spreading.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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