Early Morning Fire Destroys Barn on UMore Park Property

An early morning fire that took place Thursday on the University of Minnesota's UMore Park property is currently being investigated by Dakota County Sheriff's Department.

A call came in around 2 a.m. Thursday with information on a pole barn burning off of Lone Rock Trail.

"The pole barn was used primarily for storage of hay bales and a few older pieces of machinery. The hay inside caused the fire to burn long and hot for several hours," Rosemount fire chief Scott Aker told the Rosemount Town Pages. 

"Rosemount Fire was first at the scene, but the rural location necessitated the assistance of Farmington, Hastings and Randolph’s fire departments,"  Aker told the Farmington Independent. "The three assisting departments brought water tenders to the scene, keeping a constant flow of water for about five hours."

"Once the blaze was knocked down enough, a front end loader was brought in to spread out the smoldering hay. Rosemount Fire left the pile to smolder. University staff will monitor the remains throughout the day and notify the fire department if there is a flare up," Aker told the Rosemount Town Pages.

"Aker dismissed assisting departments and most of his fire crew around 7 a.m. One rig, a Rosemount fire-rescue truck, stayed behind until about 9 a.m., because it got stuck in the soft, unfrozen ground," according to the Farmington Independent.

Currently, there is no estimate on the damage to the university's property.