A 59-year-old woman residing at an assisted-living facility is believed to have started one of the units on fire near Grand Rapids on Tuesday night.
Four residents were evacuated from Wendigo Pines Assisted Living Units after Itasca County Sheriff's officers, Grand Rapids firefighters and Cohasset firefighters responded to a call of a structure fire about 7:50 p.m. An employee assisting in the evacuation was transported to Grand Itasca Medical Center for smoke inhalation. No one else was injured.
The resident suspected in the incident was transported to a mental-health facility for evaluation, according to Itasca County Sheriff Pat Medure.
Damage to the building, which is about seven miles from Grand Rapids, is estimated at $125,000 to $150,000, Itasca County Sheriff Pat Medure said.
Authorities from the Itasca County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota State Fire Marshalls office and Grand Rapids Fire Department are investigating. Once the investigation is complete, the file will be sent to the Itasca County Attorney's Office for possible criminal charges.
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Wendigo Pines Assisted Living and Memory Care specializes in providing
assisted-living and memory-care services for seniors.
