Racine man loses home in fire Friday

By Mia Simpson (Contact) | Austin Daily Herald

Published Monday, June 30, 2008

RACINE — A fire at a rural Racine residence Friday cost an 80-year-old man his home, though no damage estimate or cause is known, according to Mower County Chief Deputy Mark May.

May said the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office and Stewartville Fire Department responded to the call, at 30464 735th Avenue, around 8 p.m. to find the house fully engulfed in flames.

The owner, Bernard William Rath, said he and his brother, Robert, had left for chores three hours earlier, noticing nothing unusual at the time, May stated. After their return, Rath said he heard crackling noises and saw smoke around 7:30 p.m., and, upon investigation, saw the house had started on fire, May said.

The blaze was uncontrollable when fire officials and law enforcement arrived, according to May, who said the report noted that the cause remains unknown, though no investigations will follow. The house was called a complete loss.