(Spirit Lake)– Fire this (Sat.) afternoon destroyed a house on Lakeview Drive in the Triboji Beach area on the north side of West Lake Okoboji.
Spirit Lake Fire Chief Wally Jorgenson says his department got the call around 1:00 p.m. Jorgenson says the structure was completely engulfed when firefighters arrived.
No one was home at the time. The house has stood vacant for quite some time…but still had furnishings in it. It’s owned by three out-of-state women. Their names weren’t immediately available.
Jorgenson says the origin of the fire is suspicious. The State Fire Marshall was at the scene interviewing several boys who had been seen in the area shortly before the fire broke out.
A neighbor tells KUOO news kids had been seen playing in and around the residence in the past. A window was recently knocked out of the house.
Firefighters were at the scene for about an hour and-a-half this (Sat.) afternoon. They managed to keep the blaze from spreading to some nearby homes and trees…inspite of a strong south wind. Jorgenson says a lack of fire hydrants in that area didn’t help matters.
No injuries were reported.
