(Orleans)– A house in Orleans was heavily damaged by fire Friday afternoon.
The Spirit Lake Fire Department was called to 1270 252nd Avenue around 2:00 p.m. Upon arrival, Fire Chief Wally Jorgenson says the structure was completely engulfed.
The house, owned by Rob Hanson, was being rented out. Jorgenson says the three tenants were home at the time and didn’t realize the fire had broken out until they saw flames. All three managed to get out uninjurred. One of the occupants, who was upstairs at the time, reportedly had to jump over flames shooting through a staircase.
It took firefighters more than two hours to get the blaze extinguished.
Jorgenson says the State Fire Marshall determined the fire was caused by some items near a water heater that combusted. That in turn, caused a control valve on the water heater to rupture…allowing natural gas to feed the fire. From there, Jorgenson says the blaze quickly spread throughout the rest of the house.
Jorgenson says the log exterior of the house was built around an original structure…and that made fighting the fire somewhat tricky.
The Spirit Lake Fire Department was at the scene until about 4:30 p.m. Friday. Some firefighters stood by several more hours Friday evening to keep an eye out for any re-kindling while the investigation into the cause was underway.
