Ron Allen’s house catches fire, but the damage is not severe

Goodhue County Commissioner Ron Allen credited two alert daughters and a quick response by firefighters for keeping a small blaze in his house from spreading.

“Another two minutes and we’d have lost the house,” he said of the Tuesday morning fire.

The fire started — and was confined to — a basement room at his 1713 Siewert St. residence, according to fire department reports. Firefighters reported moderate damage to the basement and slight smoke damage throughout the house.

Fire Marshal Andy Speltz said that while the fire remained under investigation, evidence was pointing toward an electrical cause. Allen agreed, saying an outlet in the basement room appeared to be the source.

His two daughters, Amanda and Suzanne, happened to be home when the fire began and called 911 immediately. Allen, who recently returned from service in Iraq, said some of his military equipment was lost in the blaze.

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