By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent 

Sheriff deputies, on Nov. 24, reported that fire destroyed a house under construction northeast of Perham. The location was close to 500th Street.

Deputies said the cause of the fire was still not known as of Monday morning, Nov. 27. Also destroyed were tools and sewing/embroidery equipment. No injuries were reported.

Responding to the scene of the fire, at 4:38 a.m., were fire crews from Perham, New York Mills and Wolf Lake. Perham EMS also was dispatched to the scene of the fire.

Authorities say that fires during construction can spread rapidly, especially when sprinklers have not yet been installed or activated. Fires also take place when combustible materials are being loaded into buildings. 

“All it takes is one small ignition source to start a major fire,” said one fireman.