'We just stood there and watched it'

The scenic view didn't last long Sunday for Jamie and Brad Roschen.

While taking in the panorama at Red Wing's Memorial Park, the couple received a troubling phone call just after 7 p.m.: Their house was on fire.

"We were thinking, 'Can we put it out?'" Jamie Roschen said Monday.

The couple hurried back to their Featherstone Township residence to find the mobile home engulfed in flames. It later burned to the ground. By Monday, all that remained were charred belongings.

"We just stood there and watched it," Jamie Roschen said of the 299th Street residence, located on the family farm.

Firefighters had to back away from the blaze amid concerns that electricity was still running through the structure, Goodhue Fire Chief Mike Kehren said.

"We had to keep the safety of our people in mind," Kehren said, adding that firefighters could hear snapping and popping -- sounds indicating electrical activity -- coming from the house as it burned.

Read more about the fire in Wednesday's print edition.

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