BROOKINGS — It’s been a life-changing week for David and Kristina Bauer.
A Monday fire destroyed a metal pole barn building at 3026 Sunnyview Drive that housed vehicles and equipment for their trucking company.
Fire departments from Brookings, Aurora, Volga, Bruce, Elkton, Sinai and Arlington were called in to help extinguish the blaze.
The machine shed was destroyed, but the firefighters were able to make sure the fire did not spread to other buildings.
Bauer said the recent snowfall was a blessing in that it helped prevent the fire to spread to other areas of the neighborhood.
In a Tuesday news release, Brookings County Assistant Sheriff David Biteler said the fire crews were on the scene for more the three and one-half hours on Monday. And firefighters were called back to the scene shortly after midnight Tuesday after the fire rekindled.
The Bauers began the process this week of working with their insurers to rebuild the structure.
The building contained a tractor and vehicles and various tools and equipment that they used to run their transportation business.
“And the most important thing was that our three cats were in there,” Kristina Bauer said. And those pets lost their lives. “But thankfully no other lives were lost or hurt.”
Kristina Bauer said the couple were planning to make a move to a new house and shop south of Brookings, but now they have cancelled the move and plan to rebuild again at the current location.
“I even (had the) flooring picked out. Then Monday I get a phone call that your shop is on fire,” she said. “This was a sign to either go or stay and we decided to stay. We’re going to rebuild the shop.”
“The outpouring of support from Sunnyview residents was awesome,” Kristina Bauer said. “This was a sign from God that he wanted us to stay, so we’e going to stay.”
She said the previous owner built the shop with living quarters, where the cats were. But the rebuilt structure will not include living quarters
“We’re very thankful for the neighbors, the support, the phone calls, the visits and firemen working tirelessly,” Kristina Bauer said.
The Bauers said the vehicles and equipment in the building is valued at more than $250,000. They were able to salvage one tractor from the building.
The Bauers said they just had real estate people in to take pictures of the property prior to their planned move and those pictures will help the insurers.
They said they were not fully covered by insurance, but they should be able to rebuild the structure.
“We’ll struggle, but we’ll get through it,” David Bauer said.
— Contact Doug Kott at [email protected].
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