A Grand Marais firefighter ventilates smoke from the home of Tom and Stefanie Crosby at 406 First Avenue West, which was severely damaged by fire on Saturday, September 5, 2009.
A passing motorist made an emergency 911 call at 8:16 p.m. on Saturday, September 5 reporting smoke coming out of a residence at 406 First Avenue West in Grand Marais. The Grand Marais, Colvill, and Maple Hill Fire Departments were paged and were able to save the home of Tom and Stefanie Crosby, however the kitchen was destroyed by fire and the house suffered extensive smoke damage.
Paul Harvey of Grand Marais made the emergency call. He reported smoke coming out of the house. At the same time, Mark Laky of Grand Marais came into the Law Enforcement Center lobby to report the smoke. The Grand Marais Fire Department responded and was on the scene at 8:22 p.m, with 10 firefighters responding with two trucks as well as the Grand Marais First Responders. Fire Chief Ben Silence was not available at the start of the fire, but arrived later, so incident commander at the scene was firefighter Mike Flack. Flack assessed the situation and called for mutual aid first from Colvill and then Maple Hill Fire Departments. Each department provided assistance with a fire truck and crew. By 8:44 p.m., flames had been doused and the fire departments searched for fire spread.
Silence said it appears that the fire started in the kitchen. “That is where the major damage is,” said Silence. “We had to rip the cupboards off the wall. There is also very heavy smoke damage to the rest of the house.”
Maple Hill Fire Department was released from the scene at 9:28 p.m. and Colvill Fire Department at 9:32 p.m. The Grand Marais Fire Department remained on the scene until 10:13 p.m.
Homeowner Tom Crosby, reached by phone on Tuesday, September 8, said his family was waiting to meet with an insurance investigator to see if the cause of the fire could be determined. He said he and Stefanie were deeply saddened by the damage to their home and the loss of many possessions, but they were glad that no one was injured—including their two dogs, which were at the family business, Grand Marais Golf ‘n Stuff, with Tom. Stefanie Crosby was also at work at Lutsen Resort at the time the fire was discovered.
Tom Crosby said, “We lost a lot, but the stuff that really matters is okay.”
The couple is living temporarily with family in Grand Marais.
Thisis the third fireat the house. In 1980, a firebelieved to have been caused by defective electrical wiring caused extensive damage to the interior of the house, which was owned at that time by Greg Bjerkness. The house was restored and eventually purchased by Linda Browning, who experienced a fire in the 1990s.
Leave a Reply