Fire destroys Waltham shed

Published 10:46 am Monday, August 8, 2011

A fire destroyed a rural Waltham man’s shed and several lawn mowers Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m., according to Sheriff Terese Amazi.

Amazi said Vernon Deraad, 73, noticed smoke coming from his shed shortly after he finished mowing the lawn and backed his Gator utility vehicle into the shed. The shed was on fire by the time Deraad called 911.

Mower County sheriff’s deputies and the Brownsdale Fire Department responded to the scene, at 30524 600th Ave., but the shed was a total loss.

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Deraad also lost the 1999 Gator utility vehicle, two riding lawn mowers, one push lawn mower and a log splitter in the blaze.

There is no electricity to the shed, but the hot Gator may have caused the fire, Amazi said.

Nobody was injured in the fire.