Center City blaze claims house

Area firefighters were called out Thursday, March 7 to an afternoon fire that claimed a house, just east of the church in Center City. Nobody was home when authorities got the call, but the occupants did arrive soon after emergency personnel arrived.

Tom Carey and Stephanie Smith had been renting the home for the last several months and they basically have nothing left to salvage from the fire. Their cat was lost in the blaze and among personal items destroyed were photos and mementoes of their only child Travis, who was stillborn last October.

There is a fund established at any US Bank to help get the couple back on their feet. Checks should be in care of the CareySmith Benefit Fund, #104781549571. Retail gift cards are also very useful in situations like this-- send Target, Wal Mart, Home Depot, Menard’s, etc. gift cards to 29872 Sportsmens Drive, Chisago City, MN 55013.

Firefighters from Center City, Lindstrom, Shafer-Franconia and Almelund worked to extinguish the fire, along with making many trips to transport water to the rural site.

In photo they were approaching the attic area by ladder after the second floor collapsed, according to Incident Commander Scott Sellman. A firefighter was cutting a hole into the attic area to get more water into the structure when flames shot out, and he scurried down a few rungs, while holding a sawzall.