North Shore motel damaged by fire
An explosion and fire at a North Shore motel Wednesday injured two people and destroyed a building.
It happened about 10 miles northeast of Duluth at the Lake Breeze Motel Resort on Scenic Highway 61.
There are a half dozen buildings on the property, but Duluth Assistant Fire Chief Erik Simonson said the damage was limited.
"We had a lot of fire, but we were able to contain it to that single building," Simonson said.
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The building that was destroyed included two guest rooms plus living quarters for the owners. Simonson said an owner of the motel was taken to a hospital.
"All the reports that we're hearing were that there was a significant explosion," Simonson said. "A lot of the residents and occupants of the motel were out by the pool when this happened, so we had a fair number of eyewitnesses."
Simonson said one witness indicated the fire may have started in a laundry room. There was a propane tank on the property, but it did not explode.
Investigators are trying to figure out the exact cause.