MN Crews Fight Huge Lake House Fire for More Than 12 Hours

Fire continued burning Thursday morning more than 12 hours after a multimillion-dollar home under construction became engulfed in flames on Lake Minnetonka’s northeastern shore, authorities said.

“One truck is on scene monitoring the fire in the basement,” Wayzata Fire Chief Kevin Klapprich said. “The crew is just monitoring to make sure it goes nowhere.”

The unoccupied property at 2750 Gale Road, on Breezy Point in Woodland, caught fire about 6:15 p.m., Klapprich said. Soon after, one firefighter reported “a large explosion” as flames overwhelmed the structure, according to emergency dispatch audio.

No injuries were reported, and authorities have yet to give a preliminary indication of how the fire started.

The chief said there were “no hydrants in the area, [and] water had to be hauled into the scene” by tanker fire trucks from neighboring communities.

Klapprich said he was “very proud of all” the firefighters who responded and stayed at the scene amid biting cold and strong winds.

“Conditions were not fun,” he said. “The wind helped the fire build. [It was] not easy for the crews with temps like that to work; very hard to keep things from freezing.”

Other homes are under construction in the area, and many work vehicles were at the burning property, firefighters said. The one-story home being built was already “fully involved” with flames when they arrived, according to the dispatch audio.

Firefighters were rotated in and out of shelter to allow them to warm up and rest through the night.

The fire, on the shore of Breezy Point near Browns and Wayzata bays, was so large that flames could be seen from the other end of the lake. Smoke from the blaze was showing up on weather radar.

The home is owned by a limited liability company, which often is a strategy that is used to keep the public from knowing who lives or intends to live there. The property was last sold in September 2017 for $5.4 million.

———

©2020 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.