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.

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.

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