Community rallies after Stephen lumberyard fire

STEPHEN, Minn. — Jason Yutrzenka said he and his family are trying to put things back together after a fire burned down one of their two lumberyards on Friday, Nov. 13. He expressed his thanks for the outpouring of support from Stephen, Minn., community members. “The support in a small town is just unbelievable, the texts and calls I’ve gotten,” he said. “We really, really appreciate that and can’t thank everybody enough.” Stephen Builders Supply caught fire just after noon. There were no injuries, but the building was a total loss. Fire departments from Stephen, Argyle, Kennedy, Warren and Karlstad responded to the fire. Shawn Rominski, chief of the Stephen Volunteer Fire Department, said it was 12:17 p.m. when he got the page about the fire. When he got there, the building was heavily engulfed in flames. It took until 8 or 9 p.m. for the bulk of the fire to be put out. “It was one of our bigger businesses,” he said.

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