Rural Deerwood house destroyed by fire
GARRISON - Garrison and Brainerd firefighters examined the flame-damaged west wall of Danny Bordwell's rural Deerwood home Friday morning in hope of determining the cause of the fire that destroyed the two-story home.
Garrison Fire Department Chief Bruce Breun said all of the people in the home left without suffering any injuries. Breun said the structure, on Highway 18, just west of Crooked Lake Road, was a total loss. The fire chief said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined but he confirmed that a bonfire had been started Thursday night.
Danny Bordwell, who drives a semi-truck for a living, rents the home out and said four adults and two children live there. Friends, he said, had gathered to enjoy a mosquito-free night and a bonfire on the west side of the five-bedroom house. Bordwell said water was used to douse the fire that night. He has owned the home since 1999.
Firefighters from the Garrison and Brainerd fire departments examined the west side of Danny Bordwell's rural Deerwood home on Highway 18 Friday morning trying to determine the cause of a blaze that destroyed the home. None of the people in the home were injured in the fire.
Brainerd Dispatch/Mike O'Rourke
Eric Stevens, 27, a temporary renter there, said there were 10 adults and two children at the home overnight.
Bordwell said a neighbor, Marvin Schmaltz, saw smoke as he was driving by and drove in to make sure everyone was alerted to the fire. Stevens said at about that same time he woke up seeing flames on the wall outside of his west bedroom.
The Garrison Fire Department was assisted by four Brainerd Fire Department trucks, Cuyuna Regional Medical Center Ambulance and the Crow Wing County Sheriff's Department.
MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.