Fire damaged a Lester River Road home this morning.
The large, three-story home at 2170 Lester River Road, housed the Hilltop House, a restaurant and nightclub, 40 years ago.
According to the Duluth Fire Department a roofing company was using torches while installing a portion of flat roof when combustible wood behind the stucco wall caught fire and worked its way up two stories behind the wall, into a bedroom, and into the attic. Large portions of the 4,000-square-foot home were filled with smoke.
The $600,000 building suffered $30,000 damage to the structure and another $20,000 to Its contents.
The property is on the edge of city limits and the closest hydrant is at Lester Park Golf Course, more than a mile away. Enroute to the fire, Duluth asked for assistance from nearby volunteer fire departments with large water tankers and drop tanks. Crews from Lakewood and Normanna Fire Departments arrived with extra water. Responding tankers from Clifton, and Rice Lake Fire Departments were cancelled enroute by Duluth after the fire was quickly brought under control.
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Duluth firefighters attacked the fire directly and opened the roof to release smoke and heat.
