Winjum’s Fire Cause Determined To Be A First

Dustin Dienst, Faribault Fire Chief released details about a fire earlier this month at Winjum's Resort.

February 3, 2023 at 10:38 a.m. the Faribault Fire Department received a ccall from Winjum's at 17759 177th St. W.  The caller stated they went into the restaurant and it appeared there had been a fire overnight.

The fire was out but they wanted the fire department to determine the cause.

Dienst told KDHL he suspected the cause right away but asked the State Fire Marshal to assist in the investigation to make sure his determination was correct.

Dienst stated, "Multiple investigators worked on the cause and all agreed the cause was a 4 foot LED lamp that was installed into an existing fluorescent light fixture without proper retrofitting.  This caused fixture parts to overheat igniting the plastic lens and then the ignited materials dropping down to flammable materials below."

Dienst added the State Fire Marshal stated they had never determined any fire had been started by improper LED installation.

It's the main reason he wanted to educate the public so it doesn't happen again.

Dienst says in his updated Media Release, "Installing the LED lamp iinto a fluorescent fixture is a mistake that could be made by anyone.  Please ensure that you are installing the correct lamp into any light fixture."

The Faribault Fire Chief promised to explain with more details during his next visit on the KDHL AM Minnesota program.

Dienst says the establishment sustained significant smoke damage throughout.  The restaurant had been closed for the winter.