Sauk Centre House Fire Intentionally Set; Woman Airlifted With Burns

Apr 18

A woman was seriously injured and a man hospitalized following an arson and assault incident Thursday morning in Sauk Centre.

Officers were dispatched around 7:40 a.m. to a disturbance at a home on the 700 block of Ash Street South.

When police arrived, they saw smoke coming from the residence and learned that the fire was set intentionally. The woman suspected of setting the fire was still inside and potentially armed.

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Officers entered the home and found the woman in the basement near an active fire. She was reportedly incapacitated and had to be rescued by police. She sustained serious injuries and was later airlifted to a burn unit.

A man who had been at the residence was transported to the hospital by a private party before officers arrived. Investigators determined he had been assaulted prior to the fire and suffered a severe head injury. He was later transferred to the St. Cloud Hospital for advanced treatment.

Officers were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, authorities confirmed. The Sauk Centre Fire Department extinguished the remaining fire and a search warrant was later executed at the property.

The incident remains under investigation. Agencies assisting included the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, Sauk Centre Ambulance, Sauk Centre Fire Department, Melrose Police Department, Belgrade Police Department, the Minnesota State Fire Marshal and the Minnesota State Patrol.

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