Early-Morning Blaze Destroys Houlton Home

A blaze early Sunday morning destroyed a Houlton home that overlooks the St. Croix River in the 1400 block of Hilltop Ridge.

It took about 70 firefighters from six departments to put out a fire that broke out just before 4:30 a.m. March 17 at Lawrence and Kathleen Horsch’s split-level home at 1404 Hilltop Ridge, the Hudson Star-Observer reports.

No one was injured as a result of the fire, Town of St. Joseph Fire Chief Ron Burton said. The home was unoccupied, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The home was for sale for $959,000, according to this MLS listing Coldwell Banker Burnet's website. According to county property records, the property was assessed at $609,900 — $278,600 for the land and $331,300 for the improvements. The county lists the fair market value as $522,700.

Someone in Stillwater saw the fire and called it in to dispatch, Burton said. The home was engulfed with flames showing through the roof when the first crew arrived.

A lot of personal items will be salvageable, Burton said, but the structure is likely a total loss.

"The firefighters did a great job," Burton said. "It was about zero degrees, and they worked hard through cold temperatures, freezing water and snow up to you know where. It was as good of an outcome as we could have hoped for."

The Hudson, Roberts, Somerset, Bayport and River Falls fire departments, along with Lakeview EMS, provided mutual aid to Town of St. Joseph firefighters.

Stillwater also provided mutual aid at the fire. The Stillwater Fire Station was used as a fill-point for the water tenders that shuttled water to the fire.