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Fire at Chanhassen motel cabin kills occupant

By Paul Walsh

March 18, 2014 at 5:39AM

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Fire engulfed one of several cabins at a motel in Chanhassen early Monday, killing one person and injuring another, authorities said.

The blaze broke out about 2 a.m. at the Brookside Motel at 780 Flying Cloud Drive, near Hwy. 101, said Fire Chief John Wolff.

An older man was found dead in a two-unit cabin, and the person injured was in a neighboring cabin that also was affected by the fire, the chief said.

There is no immediate word on how the blaze started, Wolff said. It was brought under control in about 30 minutes, he said.

The cabins and an area for recreational vehicles to park attract people who are primarily living there for extended periods of time.

The names of the person who died and the person who was injured have yet to be released.

Paul Lundquist, a trucker who lives there in an RV, said the man who died was retired and had been there for many years.

"I was pretty worried about the old guy in there," said Lundquist, who was awakened by a rumbling fire truck a few hours after the blaze began. "He didn't move real fast. … In the summer months, you'd see him out on the stoop. I'd stop by and say 'hi' to him."

Paul Walsh

A resident of a motel cabin in Chanhassen died in an early morning fire on Monday, March 17, 2014. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Firefighters worked the scene of a fatal fire in Chanhassen on Monday, March 17, 2014. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A fire broke out about 2 a.m. Monday at the Brookside Motel, but the cause of it is unknown. One man was killed and another person in a neighboring cabin was injured. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Firefighters worked the scene of a fire in Chanhassen on Monday. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)