Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Firefighters battle the blaze at an unoccupied home on the 1200 block of 4th Avenue North early Saturday, Dec. 31.
An abandoned home in New Rockford has been destroyed after being engulfed by flames in the early morning hours of Saturday, Dec. 31.
New Rockford Fire Chief, Brian Hopfauf, said his department arrived at the scene, located on the 1200 block of 4th Avenue North, at around 5:17 a.m. to find the home already consumed by fire.
"When we showed up the house was fully engulfed," said Hopfauf, "so we made a decision not to run any hydrant water and just protect the structure to the west."
Firefighters sprayed down the trees and the area between the two homes, added Hopfauf, who also thanked Dusty Nystrom of the Community Ambulance Service of New Rockford for evacuating the home immediately west of the fire.
Eddy County Sheriff, Paul Lies, told county commissioners on Tuesday that the destroyed home has been abandoned since 2018. Hopfauf confirmed with the Transcript that no one was inside the home at the time of the fire and that no injuries were suffered.
In total, three engines and approximately 14 to 16 firefighters responded to the blaze, and the fire department didn't leave the scene until 8:00 a.m. later that morning.
Focus then shifted to investigating the cause of the fire.
"We believe it was an electrical problem on the back side of the house," said Hopfauf. "There was live wires going to the house yet."
He added, "The meter was off of the house, so there was no electricity going into the house, but there was electricity going to the meter."
Hopfauf added, however, that the investigation is still ongoing. He confirmed that foul play is not suspected.
Hopfauf also thanked the emergency personnel that responded to the call, particularly as the fire occurred so early in the morning.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Lies told county commissioners on Tuesday that figuring out ownership of the home has been complicated, as five of its seven owners are now deceased.
Lies later told the Transcript on Wednesday that contact has been made with the two remaining owners, Debora Van Lith of Minneapolis, Minn., and David Van Lith of Minot, N.D.
