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MEDINA, N.D. – No injuries were reported after firefighters responded to a house fire here on Friday, Jan. 20, according to Austin Dockter, Medina fire chief.
Medina Fire and Rescue responded to 407 College Street in Medina at about 1:10 p.m. Friday, Dockter said. A neighbor reported the fire.
“When firefighters arrived on scene, the fire seemed to have started on the north end of the property and quickly spread to the house,” he said.
He said the property includes a two-stall garage attached to the house with a porch and breezeway between the house and garage. He said there is no hard evidence on where the fire started but the garage “was the suspicion” of where it started.
The fire has been contained, but firefighters will continue to monitor it for the rest of the evening, Dockter said.
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He said the residents were home when the fire started. He said there were some pets in the house but from what he is aware of all of them are accounted for.
The American Red Cross was on scene offering aid to the residents. He said he wasn’t sure if the residents had anywhere to stay.
“I know they can’t stay where they are,” he said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Without the result of an official investigation, Dockter said his educated guess is that house is a total loss.
“I don’t think there will be anything salvageable,” he said.
The Cleveland Rural Fire Department and Woodworth Fire Department provided mutual aid.
“We rely heavily on mutual aid in situations like this, so we were fortunate to have them available today,” Dockter said.
He said the snow was a challenge for firefighters to get access to the fire. He said the property is on a corner lot and there are multiple outbuildings.
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“The snow that has been moved in town this year just provides a challenge to get close on scene,” he said. “Depth of the snow, distances from the fire hydrants having to go down the roads rather than across yards with hoses and equipment, it provides just a little tougher access in a situation like this.”
The Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office and Medina Ambulance also responded to the scene.
