Fire Destroys Only Grocery Store In Small Northern Minnesota Town

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Residents in a small northern Minnesota town woke up Tuesday morning to the news that their only grocery store burned down overnight.

The Ely Echo reports that Zup's Food Market in Cook was destroyed by a fire. The market, just off Highway 53, was the town's only grocery store.

Several fire departments responded to battle the flames, which flared up shortly before 9 p.m. Monday. A video posted to Facebook by Friends of the Northland FireWire showed black smoke billowing out of the back of the building.

No one was in the grocery store at the time of the fire, and there are no reports of injuries to firefighters who knocked down the blaze amid frigid, single-digit temperatures.

According to the Echo, the building is believed to be a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Cook holds a population of 574 people, according to U.S. Census data. It's located about 90 miles north of Duluth.