Flames consume Town and Country Bulk building
by Marlo Benning
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| Very little remains of the building that housed Town and Country Bulk Fuel just outside of Eagle Bend. A fire consumed the building's contents which included four fuel delivery trucks. |
In the wee morning hours of Tuesday, January 8, a motorist noticed that the Town and Country Bulk Fuel building was on fire and reported it.
Eagle Bend firefighters were alerted at 3:20 a.m. by the county's dispatch to the business' hillside location just east of Eagle Bend.
According to Fire Chief Steve Weishair, mutual aid was requested of the Clarissa Fire Department as soon as they arrived at the scene due to the presence of four fuel delivery trucks that were housed inside the building. They needed them to help keep a steady water supply on the trucks to avoid an explosive situation.
The main fire was controlled at approximately 7 a.m. The Clarissa firefighters were released at that time, but the Eagle Bend department remained on site until 10:45 a.m. to cool the trucks and to watch for flare-ups.
The owners of Town and Country are Mark and Carla Schwantz of Bertha. Mark said that the cause of the fire is unknown at this time. He is hoping that a fire inspector, who was scheduled to investigate at the scene on Monday, January 14, will provide him with an answer for the cause.
Everything in the building, including all of the Schwantz's business belongings, were lost in the fire. The fuel storage tanks that now stand solo on the property were not damaged.
"I never anticipated it could burn to the degree that it did," Mark said of the metal building that basically burned to the ground.
Mark has no plans to back down from this unfortunate challenge he has come up against. He has continued operating the business and will eventually rebuild.
Because the storage tanks are still in working order, they have been able to rent a truck and are back up and running as well as they can be at this point.
You can still reach the business at the same number of 218-738-5198 and the same friendly voice of Connie Rach will be at the other end ready to fulfill your fuel needs.
Temporary drop-off locations for payments are Shirley's Gas and Grocery in Eagle Bend and Seven Oaks Express in Bertha.
Mark is thankful that customers have been very patient and understanding which has helped make this situation easier.
marlo@inhnews.com