Police: 1 Dead, 1 Hurt In Cloquet House Fire

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities say one man died and another was hurt after a house fire early Saturday morning in northern Minnesota.

The Cloquet and Fond du Lac Police Departments responded at about 2 a.m. Saturday to a structure fire at 248 Tyler Drive in Cloquet, on the Fond du Lac Reservation. When authorities arrived, they found a multi-family home fully engulfed.

Fire crews were able to contain the blaze, but firefighters found one victim inside the home. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities identified the victim as 23-year-old Preston Jerald Alaspa of Cloquet. Another occupant of the home, a 47-year-old homeowner, was treated at a hospital with non-life threatening injuries and released.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating what caused the fire, but say they don't believe foul play was associated with the victim's death. Anyone with information about the fire should call Cloquet police at (218) 879-1247.