by Tom Coombe
An Ely home was damaged by fire Monday morning, but an observant neighbor may have prevented further destruction.
The Ely Fire Department responded to the structure fire at 1033 East Harvey Street and the fire “was quickly extinguished and additional spread was minimized,” according to a fire department news release issued that day.
No injuries were reported and the home, which was for sale, was not occupied at the time of the fire although the owner had stayed there the evening before.
State Rep. Roger Skraba, who lives next door and once owned the home that caught on fire, noticed the fire and alerted authorities around 10:22 a.m.
“I see all this smoke and I walked around the corner and I didn’t see (the owners’s) vehicle there I went inside to get my phone and called 911 and it was really cooking,” Skraba said.“The smoke was puffing out the two vents and the windows were full of smoke. After I saw the smoke and talked to 911 then I called the realtor and I left them a message saying 1033 is on fire and they might want to let the owner know.”
Both a propane tank and utilities to the home were cut off, allowing firefighters to work quickly once they arrived to find the one-and-a-half-story home with heavy gray smoke pushing out at the eaves and visible through the windows. No flames were visible.
With winds gusting from 25 to 30 miles per hour and indicators that the fire was oxygen-deficient, firefighters opted for a coordinated suppression and ventilation strategy.
The fire department established a water supply at both the front and rear of the structure, placed its tower truck in position for ventilation and sent an interior attack crew inside to find both heavy smoke and high heat conditions.
The building was ventilated at both the rear and both interior and exterior teams provided fire suppression. The fire was quickly put out and no adjacent exposures or other structures were impacted by the fire.
Ely Fire Chief Dave Marshall estimated damages at approximately $75,000.
The fire is being investigated by the Ely Fire Department and the State of Minnesota Fire Marshal’s Office, although preliminary investigation indicates the cause of the fire was accidental.
Agencies assisting Ely Fire in this incident were the Ely Police Department, Babbitt Fire Department, Morse-Fall Lake Fire Department, Ely Area Ambulance Service and St Louis County Sheriff.
“Ely Fire is grateful to these agencies for sending professional, well-trained personnel to assist in managing this event,” said Marshall. “Ely Fire is also grateful to Ely Public Utilities who cut power to the residence prior to fire department arrival.”
