House fire results in total loss

Grygla Fire Chief Bob Thompson reported the following information on a house fire at the home of Bill Zavoral on Friday, January 18th. Grygla Fire & Rescue was paged at 10:47am to a house fire at 23713 Thorhult Rd NW. The Department arrived on scene at 11:15am to find smoke coming from the eaves of the house. Presumed cause is believed to have started from burning wood and appears something started from the chimney in the attic. Owner William Zavoral was at home at the time and reported the fire.

Attempts were made to fight the fire from inside the house until sagging in the ceiling was making it too dangerous, at which point the fight became external.

Eleven firemen were on the scene until approximately 2:45pm. It was determined the house was a total loss.

Also on the scene were the Beltrami Co. Sheriff’s Department, Red Lake Conservation Office and the Thief River Falls Ambulance; no injuries were reported.

Weather conditions were clear and about 15 degrees with a 5mph N wind.

This was the first fire call for 2019 and the third call in four days that the Grygla Fire & Rescue responded to; the first two calls were for medical assistance.