Double Bee Honey Garage Destroyed in Grass Fire North of Park Rapids

Brett Kent had been boiling maple sap behind the family garage on the County 1 farm north of Park Rapids the way he had done for years, stepping away every 20 minutes to check on it. When he returned around 3:34 p.m. on March 25, a small fire had taken hold in the grass and leaf litter along the north side of the building. He grabbed a garden hose. It was not enough.

Park Rapids Fire Chief Joe Carlson said 20 firefighters and eight fire trucks arrived four minutes after receiving the call, a response fast enough to watch but not fast enough to save the structure. A black plume of smoke rose high enough to be seen from Park Rapids. The garage that housed Double Bee Honey, the business Brett runs with his wife Brenda, appears to be a total loss.

The Hubbard County Sheriff's Office and North Memorial Ambulance assisted at the scene. No injuries were reported. The Park Rapids Fire Department cleared the scene at 5:47 p.m.

Investigators say the cause is consistent with Brett's account and appears to be accidental: a grass and leaf-litter fire on the north side of the structure that spread to the building itself before it could be contained.

What burned went well beyond the structure. Brenda and Brett Kent posted on social media in the aftermath: "We are really sad but okay. Brett was boiling down maple sap behind the garage, in the same spot he has done for many years. He checks on it every 20 minutes, and when he went back out there it was a little fire that escalated so quickly. We are so sad that we lost so many irreplaceable things handed down from our parents, etc., including all of our beekeeping equipment and our honey supply for the year."

That leaves Double Bee Honey heading into the 2026 season with no equipment and no existing honey stock.