Eyota Veterinarian Picking Up The Pieces After Fire

By John Lauritsen, WCCO-TV

EYOTA (WCCO) -- A veterinarian in a southeastern Minnesota town is wondering what caused a fire that destroyed his pet clinic.

The Eyota Veterinary Clinic caught fire around 7 o'clock Tuesday night.

"I looked out and there were flames rolling out of the first garage door. Doc's place was smoking and it was coming out of the doors," said witness Tom Howard.

Dr. Wayne Ode had one of the only veterinary clinics in the area. He was in his office Tuesday night when a city council member, who happened to be passing by, stopped and told him smoke was coming from an adjacent business. It wasn't long before Ode's clinic was on fire and the safety of his animals was on his mind.

"I guess that was the first thing that occurred to me to do proactively at that point. I didn't know what to think. We got the animals out and it started clicking as to what was going on," said Ode.

It took firefighters from three departments nearly nine hours to put out the fire. Two dogs and two cats were saved.

Ode has been helping animals heal for years. He never thought he'd have to rescue them from his own building.

"No, like I say, you have to pick up the pieces and start all over," said Ode.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Dr. Ode said he does plan on continuing his practice in the Eyota area in some capacity. For more information about his clinic, you can visit his website.