Fire Levels Pole Barn in Rural St. Michael

For the second time in less than six months, a fire has leveled a structure on Iffert Avenue in western St. Michael. 

This time, a pole barn on the property of Abbey and Jesse DeVries at 5800 Iffert Avenue was the victim, as fire broke out shortly before 5 a.m. Friday, June 24. 

Less than an hour later, the barn was a total loss. 

"We're not quite sure how [it started]," said Steve Hosch, St. Michael Fire Chief. "When we arrived, it was fully involved. It looks like it started in the southeast corner, just by the damage, but it spread throughout the night and it was burning pretty good by the time it was callled in." 

Homeowner Abby DeVries and her husband, Jesse, were home at the time with their young daughter. 

"I actually heard a popping noise and went to my daughter's room, thinking she was maybe up to something," Abby said. "You could see the fire from her window. I had to come out of her room and tell my husband that the barn was on fire." 

Jesse then grabbed the phone and was about to call 911 when a neighbor started knocking. 

"I saw it right away, ran over and banged on the door," said Randy Puncochar, who lives one house over on the south side. "He had the phone in his hand." 

Abby said the loss included her 2003 Chevy Tahoe, a couple of snowmobiles, a four-wheeler, and the family's cat. 

"We're just really happy it didn't spread to any homes," she said. 

Back in January, fire at around 3:30 a.m. on a cold, winter day. 

"There is, kind of, something about this street," Abby said. "It's kind of crazy."

Hosch said the fire will be tough to investigate, as much of the structure was torn apart to put out any "hot spots."

"You have to take the structure apart, really, to finally knock it all down," he said. "So we'll see if there's much left to investigate. It could be pretty hard to find the actual cause."

Albertville Fire provided extra crews to fight the blaze, while Monticello provided backup and water tenders. All three departments had water trucks on scene, as there are no hydrants in the area.