Sauna Fire Heavily Damages Longstanding Business North of Perham

Logan Schepper pulled up to his sawmill on County Road 51 to find firefighters from three departments hauling smoldering insulation out of his shop ceiling and loading it into large red bags. He had not been there when it started. His cousin, who lives up the road from the property, had spotted the flames while a local waterfowl and wetlands conservation event was winding down nearby, and got word to Schepper in time for him to see the worst of the response still underway.

The fire traced back to a sauna Schepper and his cousin had just finished building the previous Saturday, March 21 — a first attempt at a product he had thought might complement his business at Schepper Sawing and Framing, which operates about 10 miles north of Perham along County Road 51. "We were just building one to see if we could do it; test it out and then possibly sell it," Schepper said.

What neither anticipated was a 12-hour delay between the sauna's first use and ignition. "Whatever was happening inside the stove or the pipe held it for 12 hours," Schepper said. "Then it decided to do something to it." The fire spread from the sauna to the steel siding on his shop, then climbed the wall and into the roof.

By the time Schepper arrived, fire departments from Perham, Frazee and Wolf Lake were working through the damage. The Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office was also assisted by the Vergas Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal's Office. No injuries were reported, and the fire did not appear suspicious. Four rafters had charred partway up, the steel siding was damaged, and a fully enclosed trailer parked alongside the shop took heat damage to its back door. "There's four rafters that are black halfway up where you can see where the heat was there," Schepper said. His repair plan includes replacing the siding, addressing the rafters, and having new blown-in insulation installed in the attic.

Schepper credited rapid response times for saving the operation. "I'm very thankful they caught it before something serious could happen," he said. The sawmill itself, along with the planer and edger, came through untouched. "We can still go to work; the mill is just fine," he said. Schepper Sawing and Framing continues to produce shiplap paneling, loft decking, flooring, batten siding and timber frames for contractors and homeowners. Schepper can be reached at (218) 457-1849 for orders or project inquiries.

As for sauna building: "I'd love to build one, but I don't really have the desire anymore," he said. In a region where Finnish heritage runs deep and saunas are as common as fishing boats, the project that nearly cost Schepper everything began, simply enough, as curiosity about whether he could pull it off.