IVANHOE, MN — A fire early Friday morning severely damaged the roof and upper floor of a building at the corner of North Norman Street and West Saxon Street in Ivanhoe. Although there were no reported injuries, the blaze required assistance from multiple area fire departments to bring it under control.
The building, formerly home to a local café, was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire. The Ivanhoe Fire Department was paged around 12:15 a.m. after a caller reported seeing flames coming from the roof. Crews worked from both inside and outside the building to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to neighboring structures.
Challenging weather and limited water supply led to a call for mutual aid. Firefighters from Hendricks, Arco, Lake Benton, Tyler, Canby, Minneota, and Marshall responded. The city’s 75,000-gallon water tower was drained during the effort, with additional water brought in from a nearby pond and lake.
Responders remained on scene until around 7 a.m. The building sustained significant roof and upper-level fire damage, with water damage reported on lower levels. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office but is not considered suspicious.
