PERHAM, MINN. (KFGO-AM) Fire crews cleared the scene of a blaze that destroyed a large RDO potato warehouse on the west edge of Perham. The fire was reported late Tuesday afternoon.
130 firefighters from 20 departments battled the blaze in windchills as cold as 40 below in ground blizzard conditions. Fire Chief Mark Schmidt says equipment froze and broke down in the extreme conditions and several firefighters had minor injuries when they slipped on ice.
No cause has been determined. The fire started on the south side of the warehouse. Several trucks and other equipment was stored in that area. Schmidt says employees were in the building before the fire started, loading potatoes for the Barrell of Fun potato chip plant in Perham.