Shed a total loss in rural SE Rochester fire late Tuesday night
(ABC 6 News) – UPDATE: The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that the owner of a woodshed that burned to the ground Tuesday night had made efforts to repair the doors on his wood boiler prior to the fire.
“If you don’t have the door completely shut while running a boiler, too much oxygen can get in and the fire can escape,” the property owner reportedly told the OCSO.
Capt. James Schueller with the OCSO said the shed-owner told deputies he had spent several hours trying to repair a loose set of doors on the wood boiler and had run it without any apparent troubles — but suspected that the fire had escaped Tuesday night.
The shed contained the boiler, an air compressor, and some lights, Schueller added.
(ABC 6 News) – A woodshed and wood boiler are considered a total loss after a fire late Tuesday night.
According to the Rochester Fire Department (RFD), at approximately 11:37 p.m., fire crews were dispatched to the 6500 block of 40th St. SE in Rochester to a report of a woodshed on fire.
The caller at the address came home from dinner at a nearby neighbor’s house and discovered his woodshed, which also housed his home wood boiler, had started on fire.
Rochester fire fighters arrived on scene to find the 30′ X 24′ shed heavily engulfed in fire. Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire using water and foam. The shed contained a large amount of firewood so crews remained on-scene to make certain all fire was extinguished.
The woodshed and wood burner are considered a total loss with damaged estimated to be $25,000 to $30,000.
There were no injuries reported.
Eyota Fire assisted RFD given the fire occurred in a rural area without fire hydrants.