A fire heavily damaged a historic lumberyard in Clinton on Saturday, adding to a string of unfortunate events for the small western Minnesota town.
The blaze, reported around 11:40 a.m., sent plumes of smoke billowing from the lumberyard, and by noon flames were shooting out 20 feet horizontally from the structure, city Fire Chief Jake Lillehaug said.
No injuries were reported, but the fire dredged up painful memories for Clinton residents, who witnessed the destruction of the town’s grain elevator in a 2021 fire. That blaze required the assistance of over 100 firefighters.
The town of about 300 residents also recently lost its cafe after a windstorm and is losing its elementary school to consolidation.
“Not much left in our small town,” Lillehaug said.
Saturday’s blaze had Clinton’s firefighters at the lumberyard until 10 p.m., with departments from Graceville, Ortonville and Beardsley assisting. At one point, firefighters had to draw water from a nearby slough after the town’s water tower ran dry, Lillehaug said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, he said.
The fate of the lumberyard, which dates back at least 50 years, remains uncertain.
