Incident Summary:
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office and the City of Rice Lake Fire Department responded to the call of a house fire in the 3900 block of Martin Road early this morning. While in route to the fire, responders learned that three adult males had been inside the residence but were now safely outside. Ryan Linn of Duluth was on his way to work when he noticed flames coming from the residence. Linn, who is also a volunteer firefighter for Normanna Township, stopped to make sure everyone was out of the residence. He found one male standing outside, but learned that two males were still inside the burning residence. One of the males was just inside of the doorway, and Linn was able to pull him out quickly. He learned that the other male was deeper inside of the residence which was now filled with smoke, and becoming further engulfed in flames. Linn went back into the residence and located the third male, who was also a double leg amputee, and was able to carry him to safety outside of the residence. Linn's bravery and quick actions, undoubtedly saved the lives of one if not both of the men that were still in the residence when he stopped.
Two of the males from the residence and Linn were all transported to local hospitals to be treated for smoke inhalation, but are expected to make full recoveries.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office and the State Fire Marshall's Office, but the home was being heated by portable propane heaters that were not indented for indoor use, and they are believed to be the probable cause at this time. It is also unknown if there were any working smoke detectors in the residence at the time of the fire. Although parts of the residence are still standing, it is consider a total loss. The value of that loss is unknown at this time.
Assisting agencies on this incident included: Air National Guard Fire, Canosia Fire Department, Lakewood Fire Department, and Mayo Clinic Ambulance
Authority: Sgt. Brandon Silgjord 218-355-1494
Date: 11/26/2019 Time: 9:20 am
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