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Tom Beaner, Steen, was at work in Sioux Falls Wednesday morning when he received a call from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office.
The person on the phone told him his house was on fire and they wanted to know if anyone or any animals were inside. The answer was no.
A neighbor called 911 shortly after 10 a.m. to report smoke and flames shooting from the windows.
By the time firefighters arrived, there was little to do but control the blaze.
“The fire had a big head start on us,” said Luverne Fire Chief David Van Batavia. “The owner was gone, and by the time someone noticed it, there was a lot of damage.”
The house, which Beaner was in the process of remodeling, was a total loss.
“He lost everything,” said his mother, Becky Beaner, who started a gofundme page for her son to start replacing necessities.
He lost clothes, guns, tools, all household stuff and military uniforms from his 19-year career with the South Dakota Air National Guard.
“Please donate anything you can to help him recover from this devastation,” his mom wrote on the gofundmepage that is seeking up to $10,000 in donations.
“The only thing he has left is 1 basket of clothes that was in his car.”
The American Red Cross is also providing support for Beaner with basic needs.
Luverne Fire Department provided mutual aid for the Hills Fire Department. Sioux Valley Energy assisted with a live power line that had come down in front of the house.
Also at scene was the Rock County Ambulance.