NORTH MANKATO — A house fire in lower North Mankato closed a portion of Belgrade Avenue Tuesday night and caused smoke damage to the home but resulted in no serious injuries to the people living there.
The report of the house fire at 512 Belgrade Ave. at 8:13 p.m. brought a major response from the North Mankato Fire Department and forced the closure of Belgrade Avenue west of Center Street.
“The initial report indicated that smoke was coming from the main level of the residence and flame could be seen through the side window,” according to a news release from Fire Chief James Zwaschka Wednesday morning. “While responding to the incident, firefighters were notified that all residents had safely evacuated the home.”
But firefighters also learned that four dogs remained inside.
“Upon arrival, firefighters located a room-and-contents fire in the kitchen,” according to Zwaschka’s report. “The fire was quickly extinguished, and firefighters conducted a search of the residence. During the search, all four dogs were located and removed from the home.”
There was moderate fire damage to the kitchen area and smoke damage throughout the home. The cause of the fire was not available Wednesday morning.
Fire officials did not list the people who were residing in the home, but county tax records list Cliff and Lana Eccles as the owners. The 1½-story home, built in 1923, carries an estimated market value of just over $250,000.
A GoFundMe page created later Wednesday on behalf of Cliff “Boon” Eccles and Lana Eccles reported that not all the dogs survived the fire and that the couple was living in a hotel with none of their possessions from the damaged home.
“The fire took nearly everything they had,” the page stated. “Most heartbreakingly, two of their beloved dogs died, and two others are still being treated. Their dogs meant the world to them, which makes this loss even more painful.”
As of 6 p.m., nearly $4,500 had been raised out of a goal of $16,000.