Brainerd firefighters respond to two house fires

In addition to fighting several grass fires hours earlier, the Brainerd Fire Department responded to two house fires Saturday morning.

At 5:42 a.m. Saturday, firefighters were called to a reported electrical box fire at a home at 7713 Wetherbee Road south of Brainerd. The power company was called to repair the malfunctioning box.

Firefighters also were called at 7:13 a.m. Saturday to a structure fire at a home at 1310 12th Ave. N.E. in Brainerd. Brainerd Fire Chief Kevin Mahle said the structure damage was kept to a minimum but the home sustained considerable smoke damage. Residents in the home were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but were not hospitalized.

Mahle said the cause of the fire appeared to be careless smoking. He said the residents discovered the fire early but the situation could have been much worse.

"A real tragedy was narrowly missed because there wasn't a working smoke detector in the room," said Mahle.

He encourages area residents to check their smoke detectors and test their batteries at least twice a year.