Victim identified in fatal Gnesen Township fire

GNESEN TOWNSHIP, Minn. — The victim has been identified in a fatal fire in Gnesen Township.

The victim was identified as 76-year-old Neil Gordon Hendrickson of Duluth.

Crews arrived on the scene of a pole barn on the 6700 block of Rice Lake Road early Monday.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said when emergency personnel arrived on scene, the structure was fully engulfed in flames, and rescue efforts were not possible.  Fire personnel were able to extinguish the flames.

SEE PRECIOUS: Update: Man found dead after fire in Gnesen Township

According to officials, the suspected cause of the fire was from a grinder and a blow torch that Hendrickson was using to work on a vehicle.

The incident remains under investigation.