WILLMAR -- Firefighters from Willmar and Kandiyohi battled a blaze late Tuesday night after the east side of a Willmar home caught fire, leaving a 15-year-old and his mother temporarily homeless.
The fire has been deemed "suspicious," according to Willmar Fire Chief Marv Calvin.
The Willmar Fire Department responded to the fire around 11:55 p.m. at 428 16th St. S.W. Shortly after, mutual aid was requested from the Kandiyohi and Pennock fire departments. Calvin said Kandiyohi firefighters assisted at the scene while Pennock firefighters filled in at the Willmar Fire Station.
Kelly Roschild and her 15-year-old son were in the home when the fire started. Calvin said the 15-year-old noticed the fire and woke up his mother before the smoke detectors went off. Roschild and her son were uninjured in the incident and were put up in a local hotel by the Red Cross.
Calvin said the fire started outside of the house on the east side. Although all accidental causes of the fire have been ruled out, Calvin would not say whether the house was set on fire or if a fire set near the residence spread to the home.
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"At this point it's still under investigation," Calvin said. "We're listing it as a suspicious fire."
Calvin said firemen combated the fire for about two hours before it was put out. The investigation into the cause of the fire continued until nearly 6 a.m. Wednesday. The Willmar Police Department and State Fire Marshal's Office were contacted about the fire after it was deemed suspicious.
Calvin said the department is wrapping up the investigation and still has to do a couple of interviews. No one has been ruled out as a suspect in the incident.
The home, which is owned by Tony and Angie Kidrowski of Pennock, has been a rental unit since 1996, Angie Kidrowski said Wednesday night. The Kidrowskis were in the process Wednesday evening of discussing whether to rebuild the home or not. Angie said they don't know what to do right now.
While the home was not destroyed by the blaze, there was significant damage to the home.
"There was a fair amount of structural damage to the east side of the house," Calvin said. He said the rest of the home was damaged by smoke and heat but was still structurally sound.
The Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Department, Willmar Police Department, Willmar Ambulance and Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad assisted at the scene.
