Sheriff: Building Fire Likely Caused by Cow Manure

ST. STEPHEN -- Cow manure is believed to be the cause of a building fire that happened near St. Stephen on Friday afternoon.

The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says they responded to a fire at 10781 385th Street in Brockway Township shortly after 1:00 p.m.

The owner of the building, 62-year-old Victor Legatt, says he was stacking manure in the building when it started to smolder. He says he believes bales of hay from last year that were also inside may have helped start the fire.

No animals or equipment were stored in the building and nobody was hurt. The fire caused a moderate amount of damage to the building and destroyed numerous bales of hay.