WADENA — A boy was seriously injured in a house fire in Wadena early Wednesday morning.
His name and age were not released, but he was transported to Tri-County Health Care and then transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, according to Wadena Fire Chief Cody Yglesias, who said his condition was not available. The fire was reported shortly before 1 a.m. at an owner-occupied house at 416 3rd St SW.
The fire was confined to a basement living area, which was filled with smoke when law enforcement officers arrived on the scene at 12:56 a.m.
Law enforcement got there first and tried to enter the house and search for the preteen boy, but were unable to do so because of heavy smoke.
Without special breathing equipment, officers were not able to reach the boy, who was rescued by the first Wadena firefighters on the scene – who needed self-contained breathing apparatus to enter the basement and find him, Yglesias said. The boy had essentially been trapped in the basement because of the location of the fire, he added.
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An adult and another juvenile, who were not identified in the news release, had been on the main level and were able to get out of the house safely, he added.
Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire, and damage was mostly confined to the basement — with some smoke damage on the main level, Yglesias said.
The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation by the Wadena Fire Department, Wadena Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Assisting at the scene were the Verndale Fire Department, Tri-County Health Care, Wadena Police Department, Wadena County Sheriff’s Office, Menahga Police Department, Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office, and Wadena Public Utilities.
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