Minnesota Homeowner Admits to Lighting Own Home on Fire

One homeowner in Northern Minnesota went to extreme lengths to finish a project, thankfully first responders reacted quickly and contained the situation.

The incident happened late last week, a structure fire was reported to authorities around 8 PM on Seville Road in Solway Township, located about 25 minutes west of Duluth, and when crews arrived they found a home "fully engulfed in flames".

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Responding firefighters from the Solway and Grand Lake Fire Departments quickly determined that the house was empty, and the fire was quickly extinguished, which also included some trees that were adjacent to the home.

It didn't take authorities long to figure out how the fire started, it turns out that the homeowner had lit the fire in an effort to "destroy what was left of the structure during demolition." While it does seem like a quick and efficient way to do the job, proper procedures must be followed for a fire like this.

According to a press release from the St. Louis County Sheriff's Department, the homeowner failed to follow the law and get a proper burn permit for the planned fire.

The Sheriff's Department says that they are investigating the fire along with the Minnesota State Fire Marshall's office.

Thankfully, the fire was contained quickly, and no injuries were reported. But it certainly is a good reminder not to take the quick way out of projects like this, you can see how this fire could have quickly gotten out of control and damaged other properties or caused some serious injuries.