A man is dead following a fire at a rural Sauk Rapids home on April 21.
At about 1:45 p.m. April 21, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office received the report of a residential fire in the 400 block of 75th St. NE in Watab Township. A 911 caller reported finding a burning outbuilding and a man who was on fire near the outbuilding at this location. The 911 caller unsuccessfully tried to extinguish the fire burning on the man before calling 911. Responding deputies arrived and attempted to provide first aid to the man, but the man was declared dead at the scene. The Sauk Rapids Fire Department was summoned to the scene and extinguished a fire in the outbuilding and uncontrolled fires engulfing two outdoor wood-burning stoves.
The Sauk Rapids Fire Department and Benton County Sheriff’s Office have enlisted the assistance of the State Fire Marshall in the investigation of the circumstances surrounding this fire and death. The investigation is currently active and ongoing.