Saturday Night Sauna Fire Damages Steel Building in Rural Otter Tail County
An outdoor sauna ignited late Saturday on County Highway 51, spreading fire to a steel building and drawing crews from four departments plus the State Fire Marshal.
A fire that started in an outdoor sauna spread to an adjacent steel building late Saturday night along the 51000 block of County Highway 51 in rural Otter Tail County, according to the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office.
The report reached Otter Tail County dispatch at approximately 10:49 p.m. Saturday, March 21, relayed through Becker County dispatch. The Wadena Pioneer Journal cited the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office press release as placing the initial call at around 10:40 p.m. The sheriff's office has not resolved the nine-minute gap between the two reported times publicly.
Fire departments from Frazee, Wolf Lake, Perham and Vergas responded to the scene. The State Fire Marshal's Office also assisted, according to the sheriff's office.
The fire is believed to have originated from the outdoor sauna before damaging the steel building nearby. No injuries were reported. The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office said the fire did not appear to be suspicious.
No property owner has been identified publicly, and no dollar estimate of the damage has been released. It remains unclear whether the State Fire Marshal's Office will pursue a formal cause determination beyond the preliminary assessment that the sauna was the point of origin.
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