Flandreau building lost in fire

FLANDREAU – Flandreau lost part of its history after a downtown building caught fire yesterday.

The building, currently being used as a Hispanic supply store, was best known to area residents as the Ben Franklin building and still carried the store's old sign.

The fire started when a stove inside caught on fire while the owners were preparing lunch.

The Flandreau Fire Department was able to keep the blaze from spreading to nearby buildings, and within an hour, the fire was extinguished. Flandreau Fire Chief Justin Krull, however, called the interior of the building a total loss. The exterior is intact.