MCINTOSH, Minn. -- The garbage hauler for several rural towns and country customers in Polk County saw the business go up in flames Sunday in McIntosh, Minn.
It destroyed the shop and all four trucks inside, doing at least $400,000 in damage and leaving questions about how the business will start picking up stuff again across Polk County, Kelly Lindseth said.
"We have no idea right now," said Lindseth, who owns and operates it with his wife, Coriann. "We have to wait till we talk to insurance, to see if we have (business) interruption plan."
McIntosh is about 30 miles southeast of Crookston on U.S. Highway 2.
The call came in at 5 a.m. Sunday that Lindseth Garbarge Service was on fire, said the new fire chief in town, Toby Strom. His trucks and volunteers were joined by departments from nearby Erskine and Fosston, Minn. "We had about 25" firefighters on scene. "We were there from 5 in the morning to 1:30 this afternoon."
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The cause wasn't known, except that it wasn't the oil-burner furnace, Strom said. Nobody was at the business when the fire started, Strom said.
Nobody was hurt, but care was required because of the oil and fuel connected with having four trucks inside the shop.
"We had a few tires and propane tanks go off, nothing big," he said.
The below-zero cold didn't pose any serious problems, Strom said.
The firefighters kept it from spreading to any other buildings in town. The back side of the shop became a problem with several tires piled there that created a hot spot hard to knock down, Strom said.
It's the biggest fire he's seen there since he started with the department seven years ago, Strom said. He became chief Jan. 1.
Kelly Lindseth said he has been a partner in the business since 1994 and that after his father, Walter, died in April, he and his wife took over.
They haul the garbage for McIntosh, Mentor, Erskine, Fosston, Lengby, Traill and Gully, Minn., as well as many rural customers in between, he said. It's too early for him to know how he's going to get the garbage hauled in coming weeks.
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The building itself would cost $269,000 to replace, and with three garbage trucks and one "demolition" truck that hooks and hauls the roll-off bins, the total loss is at least $400,000, Lindseth said.
"We had a new truck we were just getting ready to go on the road. It was new," he said. "We were out working yesterday, and we had no problems. We couldn't find anything electrical (today). We are just waiting to see, now. We can't go through it anymore till insurance goes through it, and then the fire marshal. We truly want to know."
Reach Lee at (701) 780-1237; (800) 477-6572, ext. 237; or send e-mail to slee@gfherald.com .
