INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. — A massive fire at a houseboat business in International Falls sent two people to the hospital Wednesday night, one of them in critical condition.
According to the Koochiching County Sheriff's Office, crews were called to Northernaire Houseboats on Rainy Lake just before 5:15 p.m. Wednesday.
When crews got to the scene, they found the main business office and home base for the houseboat business fully engulfed in flames. According to crews, part of the building was older and built of logs, creating a fire that was exceptionally hot and made it difficult for firefighters to breathe.
Two people were injured in the fire. One person is in critical condition at a local medical facility, while the other was determined in stable condition and taken for treatment at Rainy Lake Medical Center, officials said.
The Minnesota Fire Marshal's Office is investigating and trying to determine a cause.
Crews from the International Falls Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) worked with mutual aid partners from Little Fork VFD, International Falls Ambulance Service and the Koochiching County Sheriff’s Office in putting down the fire and controlling the scene.
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