More than 20 firefighters from two area departments worked to extinguish a large house fire near Mount Ski Gull on Sunday.
The Pillager Fire Department was paged to respond to a fully engulfed structure fire at about 10 a.m. Sunday, reported by either a neighbor or a passerby, said Pillager Fire Chief Randy Lee. Firefighters from Nisswa arrived to provide mutual aid with manpower and a tanker truck.
Lee said firefighters knocked down the flames within a half-hour of arrival, but were on scene until about 4 p.m. ensuring the fire was completely out and completing cleanup. The department was drawing water from a holding storage tank at its Station No. 2, which Lee was is located about 2 miles from the home.
Lee said the home on the 9800 block of Ski Gull Lane Southwest was not occupied at the time of the fire. He said the homeowners, their three young children and the family dog were away at a cabin at the time.
Cass County tax records show the property belongs to Todd and Shannon Wright. The home is also a licensed family child care, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services, with a capacity of up to 12 children.
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Lee described the home as a total loss. He said parts of it still stood, but the fire damage was extensive. The cause of the fire was being investigated, he said.
