Fire guts Arnolds Park home

(Photo courtesy Brian Craig) Firefighters from Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire and Rescue and Milford battled a house fire for nearly seven and a half hours at 584 Dam Rd. Saturday night. The house was declared a total loss with damages estimated in the $500,000 range. The three occupants escaped unharmed.

The Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire and Rescue was dispatched to 584 Dam Rd. at approximately 11:24 p.m. Saturday night for a possible electrical fire. Once the police department arrived at the location they reported a fully engulfed house fire.

Upon arrival, the fire department encountered a large volume of fire exiting from a chimney chase on the west side of the house. The department was able to extinguish the bulk of the fire quickly from the outside but had to make entry into the home to put out fires on both the first and second floors where the fire had extended inside.

At the time of the fire the home was occupied by three people. The first floor occupants noted some strange flashes of light above the fire place after it had been shut off and contacted the upstairs occupant who noted the odor of smoke on the second floor. All occupants escaped the home unharmed.

After the department departed the scene members made several checks on the home into the night along with the Arnolds Park Police Department to insure that the fire did not rekindle. In between checks, a neighbor noticed that the fire had rekindled and grew considerably before the fire department was able to return to the scene a few minutes later.

High winds and rapidly dropping temperatures hindered firefighters in the early morning hours while fighting this blaze. Firefighters were on scene for three hours for the initial call out and an additional four-and-a-half hours when the fire rekindled.

No one was in the home when the fire reignited.

The house is considered a total loss with damages estimated in the $500,000 range.

No firefighters were injured while fighting the fire.

(Photo courtesy Brian Craig)

The Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire and Rescue was assisted at the scene by Milford Fire and Rescue, Dickinson County Emergency Management, The American Red Cross, Lakes Regional Healthcare Ambulance, Arnolds Park, Okoboji and Milford Police Departments.