High winds blamed for shed fire

Published 5:00 pm Thursday, November 4, 2010

A Glenville firefighter hooks the roof of a burning shed Thursday afternoon behind the home at 81025 140th St. a mile southeast of Glenville. Firefighters kept the fire from reaching wood and belongings that filled the backyard. -- Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea Tribune

GLENVILLE — High winds were to blame for a fire about a mile south of Glenville Thursday.

After toppling the side of a burning shed, splitting it in half, Glenville firefighters douse hot spots remaining within the structure. Firefighters from Myrtle and Hayward assisted. -- Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea Tribune

Flames sprout from amid a pile of bed frames, wood, steel barrels, trash cans and other clutter in the backyard of a home Thursday a mile southeast of Glenville. -- Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea Tribune

The sun shines through the trees at a shed fire Thursday southeast of Glenville. -- Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea Tribune

Firefighters spray a burned shed Thursday in an effort to ensure a flames do not rekindle. -- Tim Engstrom/Albert Lea Tribune

The fire was reported at the property of Brenda Christ, 81025 140th St., just before 4 p.m. on Thursday.

The Glenville and Hayward fire departments responded to the fire, with mutual aid from Myrtle for additional water. A storage shed was destroyed in the blaze.

According to Freeborn County Sheriff’s Deputy Dale Glazier, a neighbor passing by called in the fire.

He said some brush had been burned on the property a couple of days ago and high winds on Thursday stirred things back up, reigniting the blaze. Firefighters doused the scene even after the fire was extinguished to ensure the fire didn’t reignite.

Christ’s husband, Leon, died last month at the age of 73. He had been a teacher in the Glenville-Emmons School District for 31 years.

Freeborn County was in a hazardous weather outlook Thursday because of high winds. The weather station at the Albert Lea airport reported sustained winds of 18 mph blowing in from the northwest, with gusts of 28 mph, around 4:30 p.m.

Click here to see a video of the firefighters.