An early morning fire on Sunday, December 27 caused extensive damage to this home on Townsite Road in Grand Portage. The occupants escaped without injury, but unfortunately the whereabouts of the family’s cat is unknown. A chimney fire is the suspected cause of the fire.
Cook County Law Enforcement received a 911 call at 7:20 a.m. on Sunday, December 27 from a resident on Townsite Road in Grand Portage, reporting a house on fire. The occupants—renters Darlene and Oscar Gonzales–were able to get out of the home safely.
No one was injured in the fire, but a family cat went missing. It is hoped that it will be found unharmed.
The Grand Portage Fire Department and Grand Portage Ambulance were paged, and mutual aid was requested from the Hovland and Colvill fire departments. Grand Portage Fire Department was on scene at approximately 7:30 a.m., with Hovland responding at 8:05 a.m. and Colvill at 8:21 a.m.
Grand Portage Fire Chief Bob Vogel said there was sufficient water to fight the fire, with a hydrant nearby. Firefighters also had access to water from the Hovland Fire Department’s tanker truck.
Everyone was clear of the scene by approximately 11:50 a.m.
The state fire marshal is investigating, but it appears the cause of the fire was a chimney fire. The fire appears to have started in the roof over the chimney.
Fire Chief Vogel said the chimney was knocked down, to ensure it did not fall on anyone during cleanup.
The house is owned by the Grand Portage Housing Authority. Housing Director Gale Carlson said the housing authority is waiting for the official decision from the insurance company, but it is likely that the house is a total loss. If that is the case, Carlson said the housing authority would rebuild the home.
In the meantime, the Gonzales family is staying temporarily with relatives. They will be able to move into another Grand Portage housing unit within the next few weeks. However, they will need numerous household items as their belongings were damaged by smoke and water.
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