(Okoboji)– Fire late Tuesday night and early this (Wednesday) morning destroyed one house and extensively damaged another one in Okoboji. It also sent one firefighter to the hospital.
Fire departments from three lakes area communities battled the blaze.
Arnolds Park-Okoboji Fire Chief Chris Yungbluth tells KUOO news his department was called to 3607 Fairfield Street near the Inn around 10:48 p.m. Tuesday and found a large lakeshore home completely engulfed in flames. Yungbluth says the homeowner, Anne Bonestroo, got out unharmed. A family pet is unaccounted for.
The blaze quickly spread to a neighboring home to the south…at 3605 Fairfield Street. That house is owned by John Hagge. Yungbluth says at that point they called for assistance from the Spirit Lake and Milford Fire Departments.
The home at 3607 Fairfield Street was destroyed. Yungbluth estimates the loss at roughly 300-thousand dollars. He says the house at 3605 Fairfield sustained roughly 100,000 to 150,000 dollars in damage, adding it could go higher than that.
One firefighter sustained minor injuries while battling the blaze. Yungbluth says she was taken by ambulance to Lakes Regional Healthcare and was treated and released. No other injuries were reported.
Yungbluth says firefighters remained on the scene until about 6:15 a.m. this (Wed.) morning keeping an eye out for hot spots. He says they’ll continue to monitor it throughout the day.
Yungbluth says the cause of the blaze is under investigation.
In addition to the Spirit Lake and Milford Fire Departments, the Arnolds Park-Okoboji Fire Department was assisted on the scene by the Okoboji Police Department, Dickinson County Emergency Management and the Lakes Regional Healthcare ambulance.
Yungbluth says the proximity of the homes in that area along with a stiff wind made battling the blaze somewhat of a challenge.
It took firefighters about an hour and-a-half to bring the blaze under control.
