Firefighters battling a warehouse fire in Wadena on Memorial Day had to stop the firefight and seek shelter as a tornado warning was sounded.
Crews arrived around 3 p.m. to find heavy smoke and fire conditions at Minnesota Valley Irrigation, according Fox9.com. Multiple fire departments were called to assist with the blaze.
Officials ordered a shelter in place due to the various chemicals burning in the fire about 30 minutes after the arrived.
As crews got the upper hand on the fire and knocked most of it down, severe weather cropped up around the state causing multiple tornado warnings to be issued, including in the area of the fire.
One report of a tornado was less than 20 miles from the scene, so firefighters halted their operations and took shelter in the Wadena County Courthouse.
After 30 minutes, firefighters returned to the scene to douse hot spots.
One tornado touched down about an hour away in Forada.
