Rural New York Mills Home Heavily Damaged in Early Morning Fire, Two Escape

Two residents and several animals escaped without injury after a fire heavily damaged a rural New York Mills home early Saturday morning, with authorities saying the house may be a total loss.

Dispatchers received the call at 5:15 a.m. Saturday, March 14, reporting a fire at the Julie Schermerhorn residence on the 55000 block of Otter Tail County Highway 56. According to the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office incident blotter, the fire is believed to have started in the kitchen before spreading to adjacent rooms.

The Sheriff's Office described the home as sustaining "heavy damage," with deputies noting it could possibly be considered a total loss. Fire departments from New York Mills and Perham responded and extinguished the blaze.

All occupants cleared the home before crews arrived. Two residents escaped without injury, along with several animals, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Investigators are not treating the fire as suspicious. The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office are jointly investigating the cause.

The County Highway 56 fire comes days after a separate early-morning blaze on North Walker Avenue in New York Mills destroyed an attached garage and significantly damaged the home there on March 12. That fire, which began around 4:29 a.m. Thursday, is also under investigation by the State Fire Marshal's Office and is not considered suspicious. All residents of that property escaped safely as well.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is now actively investigating at least two structure fires in Otter Tail County within the span of three days.