Weekend Fires
On Saturday morning at 11:30, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a combine fire in the area of 710th Avenue and 320th Street in Kingston Township. Meeker County Deputies arrived to find a combine owned by 65-year-old Bradley Rokala of Kimball fully engulfed in flames. The operator, 33-year-old Rhonda Hulzebos of Kimball, got out of the combine without injuries. Dassel Fire Department was assisted by Cokato Fire Department in extinguishing the flames. The combine and its contents were a total loss.
On Saturday evening at 6:26, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of bailer on fire in a field near the 31800 block of 620th Avenue in Harvey Township. Litchfield Fire and Meeker County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, deputies discovered a bailer fully engulfed in flames. The fire had spread to the field where the bailer was located. The operator and landowner, 70-year-old Timothy Peterson was not injured. The bailer was a total loss and the tractor that had been pulling the bailer also sustained damage.
On Saturday evening at 6:59, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a combine fire near 305th Street and 660th Avenue in Forest City Township. Meeker County Deputies and Litchfield Fire responded to the scene. When deputies arrived, they found the combine fully engulfed in flames. The combine is owned by 30-year-old Jackson Triplett of rural Cokato. The combine was operated by 67-year-old James Cottington of rural Litchfield. Cottington got out of the combine before it became fully engulfed. No injuries were reported. The combine and its contents were a total loss.
On Saturday night at 9:52 p.m., the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a sauna fire at a house in the 72600 block of 243rd Street in Dassel Township. A neighbor alerted the homeowner that the sauna, which was up against the outside of the residence, was on fire. Meeker County Deputies, Minnesota State Patrol, Dassel Fire Department, and Cokato Fire Department responded to the scene. The owner, 39-year-old Johnathan Hohenstein was home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported. Dassel Fire and Cokato Fire were able to put the fire out before it spread to the house. The preliminary investigation revealed the fire spread from the wood-burning stove inside the sauna. The sauna was a total loss.
