Posted: 7/9/03

Fireworks residue sparks house fire

Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Improperly disposed fireworks residue is being blamed for a fire that destroyed a home in Forest Lake late in the day on Friday, July 4.

Volunteers from Forest Lake Fire & Rescue were called to the Price T. Tyler III home, 22800 Imperial Ave., N. at 11:36 p.m. and found the structure fully engulfed in flames, said Fire Chief Gary Sigfrinius.

ìIt (the fire) was through the roof upon arrival and visible from a mile a way,î the fire chief said later. ìThis was a very, very rapidly spreading fire.î

Sigfrinius said fireworks residue that was improperly stored was the cause.

The chief said residents of the home had been shooting fireworks earlier in the evening and placed residue in a plastic garbage can that was near the attached garage of the house. Sigfrinius said flames from the garbage can were observed later by the homeowner but could not be put out.

Sigfrinius said the blaze quickly spread from the garbage can to the wall, igniting the vinyl siding. Flames quickly spread to the top of the two-story structure.

At the scene, Sigfrinius called for mutual aid from three area fire departments.

Volunteers from Scandia and Wyoming came to the scene south of Kulenkamp Park while the Hugo Fire Department was on stand-by at the Forest Lake Fire Station.

The chief said the blaze was under control in about 30 minutes, but volunteers remained on the scene until 5:15 a.m. Saturday.

There were no injuries to any of the 35 firefighters on the scene nor the Tyler family members, the chief said.

The house fire was the only call of the holiday for the department, but volunteers were out several times over the holiday weekend.

On Thursday, July 2, volunteers responded to a fire at Wood Design, 908 SW 15th St. One employee suffered second-degree facial burns. He was treated and released at the scene.

Sigfrinius said the fire was started by a spark during the manufacturing process. The shopís sprinkler system knocked down the blaze, he said.

Mutual aid from the Wyoming Fire Department was requested.

The department responded to a vehicle fire in the MGM Liquors parking lot the same afternoon and was called to the American Legion parking lot, 355 W. Broadway Ave., at 7:30 p.m. on July 2 for a grease fire in a french fry cooker operated by a food vendor.

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