80 Firefighters Extinguish Wayzata Townhouse Fire
WAYZATA, Minn. (WCCO) -- Investigators are trying to figure out what sparked a fire at a fourplex in Wayzata.
The fire forced 10 people from the building at around 12:30 Saturday morning. About 80 firefighters from several different departments responded to the three-alarm fire at 320 Hampton Street. It took about four hours to put out.
Saturday afternoon, several residents returned to try to gather their belongings.
"There's some small little victories to be had in a really, really, horrendous situation," said Mary Jane Larson as she salvaged a painting, purse and her childhood teddy bear.
Never before have the little things in life meant so much to her and her family. Especially since Larson almost slept through the fire.
"The dog is what woke me up," she said.
"She was lucky. Thankfully there was a dog out there barking," said Cori Duffy, Larson's sister.
Once she awoke, Larson smelled smoke and ran out the door without stopping for shoes or socks.
"People talk about, 'What would you grab if you were in a fire?' and there was no time to think about grabbing anything," said Larson. "Well just pick up the pieces and hopefully start all over again. That's all we can do."
Two other fires have already taught Larson about starting over.
"We've had enough fires in our family now, I think, and we're done for a lifetime," she said.
Wayzata Fire Chief Kevin Klapprich said the fire likely started in the garage. No one was seriously hurt, but two people went to a hospital for smoke inhalation.
