Despite the best efforts of neighbors, a residential fire near Bemidji, Minn., killed a 56-year-old man, authorities said.
The blaze erupted shortly before dawn Thursday in a mobile home on Buzzle Road NW. in rural Pinewood, roughly 20 miles northwest of Bemidji, according to the Beltrami County Sheriff's Office.
The homeowner and lone resident, Erich L. Schissel, was found dead inside the home by firefighters, the Sheriff's Office said.
Sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene and found the home engulfed in flames.
"The neighbors were using garden hoses in an attempt to quell the fire," a statement from the Sheriff's Office read.
Firefighters soon arrived and tamped down the flames enough to get inside and find Schissel's body.
The fire appears to have started in the living room, the Sheriff's Office said. The circumstances leading to the fire have yet to be disclosed.
PAUL WALSH
Fired Mpls. teacher accuses management of 'cancerous rot'
Jill Biden rallies women, teachers for the Biden-Harris ticket in Bloomington speeches
Neighbors, city officials at odds over Rochester lake dam
Souhan: This is KAT's chance to prove Flip Saunders was right
