DFD responds to report of an explosive sound and fire at Congdon Park house

At 3:41 p.m. on Tuesday, the Duluth Fire Department responded to a fire in a single-family home in the Congdon Park neighborhood of Duluth. The report stated that there was the sound of an explosion and a fire on the outside of the house. En route to the scene smoke was visible in the area. The first arriving crews were on scene in just over 2 minutes.

The smoke was coming from the back of the home where crews found a fire on the rear deck of the home that was extending up the wall towards the eves and attic. They advanced an attack line to the rear of the structure and began extinguishing the fire.

A neighbor on scene informed crews that there were 2 dogs in the house. This neighbor had also tried to extinguish the fire with a portable fire extinguisher. Crews entered the house and found the 2 dogs. The dogs were brought outside and evaluated and found to be in good health.

There were no people home at the time of the fire. There was light to medium smoke within the house but the fire damage was kept to the exterior. The occupants of the home arrived a short time later. The source of the explosion noise was traced to an aerosol can that ruptured in the fire. Crews removed the smoke from the home and overhauled the area of the fire to ensure it was fully extinguished. The occupants were not displaced by the fire.

The fire is being investigated by the Duluth Fire Marshal’s office. Damage estimates are initially $13,000 to the structure and contents. 16 firefighters responded to the scene from 4 stations and were on scene for about 1.5 hours.

The Duluth Fire Department would like to thank the Neighbor and the Duluth Police Department for their assistance.