Cloquet Family Sticking Together Through Two House Fires

CLOQUET, Minn.– A Cloquet family of 6 has experienced the impossible.

Back in June of 2023, their house was struck by lightning.

“It was pretty much the roof, and the interior was gone. I spent so much time rebuilding it. We had friends over helping us new roof, new walls. I was just in the process of hanging sheet rock and putting windows in so we could be fully moved in,” said Nate Stansfield, the homeowner.

Just as the Stansfield family was recovering, last Tuesday, the unthinkable happened.

Their house, for the second time, now completely engulfed in flames.

Luckily, for both incidents, none of the family was home and two of their dogs survived.

However, with this recent fire, belongings, and unfortunately two of their other dogs were lost in the fire.

“We were halfway down the road and seen the flames already, and I thought, how is that possible to happen again? It’s been inspected so many times. Half of our plants were pretty new from the last fire. And it was pretty emotional,” said Stansfield.

According to the Cloquet Area Fire District, the likely cause of the fire was an electrical appliance.

Everything in the home was up to code and inspected.

Through all of this, strong family bonds have been holding everything together.

“Our family has been amazing. They have been down here. They’ve given us food, a place to stay, a camper to stay in while we go camping. Our dogs are there. So, a very, very supportive family,” added Stansfield.

Right now, the couple plans on rebuilding on the same plot of land.

In the meantime, they will need to clear the area to start over.

And by their side, their family supporting every step of the way.

Following this devastation, a Go Fund Me page has been made to help expenses relating to the fire.