(Spirit Lake)– A weekend house fire in the Triboji Beach area is likely to re-kindle a topic the Dickinson County Board of Supervisors would like to forget: a lack of fire protection in heavily populated sub-divisions around the lakes.
Saturday’s fire completely destroyed the house at 15165 Lakeview Drive. Investigators determined it was caused by children playing with a lighter near a bed.
The house had been unoccupied for some time…but still had furnishings in it. It’s believed the children gained entry through a broken window.
Spirit Lake Fire Chief Wally Jorgenson says a lack of fire hydrants meant some firefighters had to spend their time hauling water to the scene from town.
The supervisors voted to form a tax increment finance district in the Moore Lake area to install fire hydrants in that area. They’re concerned it could open a floodgate for other requests…which, they fear, would temporarily deplete the county’s tax base.
