BARROWS-A fire gutted a garage and left one person injured late afternoon, Wednesday, Nov. 28, in Barrows.
First responders were notified of a fully involved garage fire at 4:26 p.m. at the 10000 block of Depot Street, just off Business Highway 371 south of Brainerd.
Large plumes of gray smoke could be seen from about a mile off, blending into the overcast sky. Coming on scene, responders faced an engulfed parking garage, lit like a lamp in flames, with heavy smoke billowing out the front and service doors from pockets of fire within.
From time to time, the scene was punctured with the compacted pops and booms of exploding propane tanks inside.
Brainerd Fire Chief Tim Holmes said a person was in the garage and suffered injury. Holmes said the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office-which had deputies there to wall off the scene-met and interviewed the injured person.
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A representative from the sheriff's office identified the victim as a 42-year-old man who rents the home on Depot Street. The victim suffered a burn injury and was transported to Essentia Health-St. Joseph's Medical Center in Brainerd by a private party. As of Wednesday evening, the victim was injured badly enough doctors were considering flying him to the burn unit of a Twin Cities hospital.
The fire was reported by a neighbor, according to the sheriff's office, who witnessed smoke billowing from the garage. The neighbor approached the garage and noticed flames inside, along with the injured man, and called 911.
According to Crow Wing County tax records, the property is owned by Terry K. Baker of Brainerd. The buildings on the property are valued at $9,700.
The fire remains under investigation. Other agencies assisting at the scene included the Minnesota State Patrol and North Memorial Ambulance.
For more photos of the fire, go to https://bit.ly/2Q1L1Z9 .
Community Editor Chelsey Perkins contributed to this story.
