Wes Werner was Minnesota's fire marshal

Weston (Wes) Werner of Eagan, Minnesota's fire marshal from 1972 to 1986, was instrumental in finding new ways to prevent fire tragedies.

Werner, who formerly had served as the volunteer fire department chief for Milaca, died on July 5 in Edina of natural causes, after being hospitalized for pneumonia.

The longtime Bloomington resident was 87.

As fire marshal, he helped write Minnesota's fire code and later established a corps of fire inspectors dedicated not just Minnesota, he was a pioneer, leading the state to not simply investigate fires, but to actively prevent them.

"He wanted to make sure that all fires were professionally investigated, so we could learn from those fires," said Patrick Sheehan, a fire safety supervisor in the State Fire Marshal Division, Department of Public Safety.

During Werner's tenure, Minnesota became one of the first states in the nation to require smoke alarms in existing rental homes. In the early 1980s, he worked to bring fire safety to day-care providers, making sure day-care licensing hinged on meeting fire safety requirements.

Bob Imholte, supervisor of fire inspectors for the Fire Marshal's office, said he was a low-key person, in the best sense.

Werner graduated from Chaska High School in the late 1930s, and after attending Macalester College in St. Paul, he ran a hardware store in Milaca.

After a stint in the Army Air Corps, he returned to Milaca, later becoming a firefighter and rising to chief, before joining the State Fire Marshal Division. He played leadership roles in Minnesota and national professional groups. He was a cofounder of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs Association.

After retirement in 1986, he enjoyed wood carving and his honorary membership in the Bloomington Fire Department.

He never tired of talking about fire prevention, said his wife, Becky, of Eagan.

A townhouse complex across the street from his home burned into the night in 2007, and he stayed up all night studying the action. Near dawn, he realized the fire had reemerged, and he called the authorities.

A former wife, Eileen, died in 1997. An infant daughter died in 1945, and another daughter, Susan, died in 1993.

In addition to his wife of 38 years, he is survived by his daughters, Sara Shoberg of Minnetonka, Debbie Jagunich of Iron, Minn.; sons, Rocky and Rusty Lehto, both of Lake Kabetogama, Minn.; sisters, Marian Anderson of White Bear Lake, and Lola Claire Driessen of Elk River; 11 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.