Blaze destroys rural Rock County home

Luverne firefighters were called to a house fire south of Luverne around 2 p.m. Sunday and discovered it was already engulfed in flames.
According to Luverne Fire Chief David Van Batavia, the fire was called in by a farmer in a nearby field who noticed flames coming from the house.
“The northeast corner of the structure was already engulfed,” he said.
Bryanna Cobler and her 2-year old child had escaped through a window by the time help arrived.
Fire crews were on the scene for several hours containing the fire in 25-mph winds which pushed flames to the nearby grove.
“We called Hills to come and help with the grove, but then they got sent to a grass fire in their own area,” Van Batavia said.
“We called Magnolia to help haul water, and we ended up pumping from the Rural Water station, which was closer than the hydrant at John Deere where we started.”
He said it was structurally unsafe to enter the house, so his crews simply kept water on the blaze to contain it.
“Those old farm houses burn pretty quick,” Van Batavia said. “There was no saving it, especially with that wind.”
Firemen returned later in the day after embers reignited, prompting several more hours of damage control.
Allan and Evonne Meinerts own the farm site on 71st Street one mile west of Highway 75, and their son, Daniel, and his family made their home on the property.
According to Daniel’s sister, Michelle Meinerts, the home has a long family history in the Meinerts family, as Allan's parents made the farm their home in the early 1940s, with Allan and Evonne buying the farm in the 1980s.
"If those crumbled walls could talk, you would get an earful, as many family memories were made and stories were shared in that kitchen,” she said.
"We are so grateful everyone is OK. We can't thank everyone enough for their support."
The family has been staying with friends and relatives and said they've received an outpouring of help from the community.