2 dead after Spring Lake Park house fire

The Anoka County Sheriff's Office said firefighters responded to a fully involved home around 8:52 p.m. near 82nd Avenue Northeast and Terrace Road Northeast. Officials said it appears the blaze started in the garage before spreading to the house.

Beth McDonough/KSTP

KSTP

Previous Next

Neighbors called in an emergency when they noticed a growing orange glow and called 911.

Neighbor Scott Meile said Sunday that two men lived in the home.

"It was a mess," he said. "It went from a blaze to a mess."

Several emergency agencies responded, including the Spring Lake Fire Department.

Fire Chief Jeremiah Anderson said there was a partial floor collapse not long after crews arrived and that the fire had been burning "for some time." He went onto say that made search and rescue efforts "even more precarious."

"How do you attempt a rescue without risking more lives, firefighter lives?" Anderson said.

When the aggressive flames had subsided, emergency crews discovered two victims in their 50s who couldn't get out on their own and couldn't be saved. 

Steve McDonald was a longtime friend of the victims and said felt like he needed to see the loss for himself. 

"Heaven gained a great ambassador," McDonald said. "He couldn't have picked a greater one."

Anderson said it's been nearly 25 years since the last deadly fire in Spring Lake Park. Part of the investigation will include checking to see if the home had working smoke alarms and what set off the fire in the garage.

Once family has been notified, authorities will release the identities of both men.

No surrounding homes were damaged, and no one else was hurt.