A father and his three young kids escaped a raging fire in their home Wednesday afternoon, but the dwelling could not be saved in the inferno as firefighters battled the blaze from the ground and from the ladder truck.
Becker Fire Chief Doug Kolbinger said firefighters responded to a report of a house fire at 12952 Carole Drive in the early afternoon and found flames already through the roof.
With the high winds Wednesday, the fire easily spread throughout the home and thick, black and grey smoke enveloped the surrounding neighborhood. The fire was eventually extinguished by around 2:15 p.m.
Many of the neighbors said they weren’t aware of the fire until the fire trucks and their sirens approached and stopped nearby.
The home is owned by Sam and Riley Tschida.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Kolbinger said, and the home appears to be a total loss, valued at around $200,000.
The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office, Clear Lake Fire and Rescue, Big Lake Fire, Becker Police Dept. and Xcel Energy were also on the scene.
