First responders step up to protect Minnesota neighborhood from fast-moving wildfire
Gusty winds fueled a wildfire Saturday afternoon that brought flames, smoke and ash to the sunroom of Theresa Jorgensen's home in southwestern Minnesota.
Winds reached 58 mph near the time of the fire in Lake Benton in Lincoln County, about 70 miles northeast of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
"I happened to smell smoke, and I knew it was a fire hazard day, so I looked out the windows here to see," Jorgensen said. "Just as I was doing that, out that big window here to the south, a large, huge plume of smoke just came over."
She called 911 and left the house knowing that she was in the fire's direct path.
"The 60 seconds it took me to get to the, over to the car, I was able to look out my kitchen window and the flames were already halfway down that hill," she said.
As the fire neared Jorgensen's property, help was already stepping in, including a neighbor who knew exactly what to do: longtime firefighter Scott Christensen.
"He had his eyes on our backyard, protecting us when it was so thick we couldn't even see our house, and I think that's just amazing," she said.
Fire crews from six different departments — Lake Benton, Tyler, Ivanhoe, Arco, Elkton and Holland — continued battling flare-ups, working to protect every home along the ridge.
The force of the fire pushed ash and soot 5 feet into Jorgensen's home. Dozens of homes were at risk, but none were lost.
For Jorgensen, the outcome comes down to all the first responders who showed up.
"They were right in our backyards, protecting all of us throughout the whole community," she said. "I speak, I believe, on behalf of all of my neighbors and our community, they did a fabulous job and we are so thankful."
