Couple loses home to fire

Ken Johnston
Editor

Last Tuesday evening fire claimed the home of Walter and Debbie Wagner on Blue Road #2, just northeast of Rainy River.
Walter was operating an outdoor deep-fryer on his home’s wooden steps when it overflowed and caught fire. In an attempt to extinguish the fire with a garden hose, he actually caused the fire to spread. A call to 911 saw the Pinewood Fire Department get dispatched around 5:20 p.m. However, by the time they arrived on the scene the home was deeply engulfed in flames. Pinewood called for assistance and Rainy River’s fire department was paged. By the time they got there around 6:15 p.m. the roof had collapsed.
The home was a total loss, but the adjacent buildings were all saved and a small fire in the back of the Rainy River Fire Dept.’s truck was extinguished after embers landed there and ignited.
No one was injured in the fire.