Verso Paper Fire Could Cost City Half-Million Dollars

SARTELL - The Sartell City Council is expected to make a Declaration of Emergency during tonight's (Monday) meeting.

City Administrator Patti Gartland says the declaration is necessary as the city begins the process to request financial assistance for the cost of fighting the fire at Verso Paper.  She says just the cost of the fire response is expected to exceed a half-million dollars.

Gartland says the State Fire Marshal has concluded the criminal investigation into the cause of the fire, but they have not released that information yet.  There's also a civil investigation into the fire that's being conducted right now by the insurance company.