A Woodbury family was able to escape a major house fire at the 8300 block of Marsh Creek Road during the early-morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 23.
The family had a fire in the home's fireplace on Friday and embers were left in a trashcan in the garage, sparking the blaze, said Sgt. Curt Zacharias with the Public Safety Department.
“That’s how it's appearing to have started. ... It’s an unfortunate accident,” he said at the scene at about 8:20 a.m. Sunday as smoke still rose from the burned-out structure.
No one was hurt in the incident.
The Woodbury Fire Department got the call about five minutes after midnight, Zacharias said, and firefighters battled the blaze for hours.
One of the children at home woke up and alerted the family about the fire, and they were able to get out OK, Zacharias said.
Four vehicles succumbed to the fire, and the home appears to be a total loss, he said.
“What a shame,” Zacharias said.
The fire was fully engulfed when crews arrived, said Lt. Steve Neily with the Woodbury Fire Department.
“We were overwhelmed by the amount of fire we had upon our arrival,” he said, noting that the size of the home also proved challenging for firefighters.
The fire was out and the scene was cleared a little before 5 a.m. Sunday, Neily said. It remains under investigation, and the official cause should be established within a week or two, he said.
Crews from Maplewood, Oakdale, Cottage Grove, Lake Elmo and the Lower St. Croix Valley also responded, Neily said.
Zacharias said the incident serves as a reminder that people must be careful when they have recreational fires at their homes.
“Those ashes need to be kept separate in a metal container,” said.
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