King’s Inn Fire Called Suspicious, Reward Offered

(KNSI) – Officials are calling a fire that destroyed an abandoned building on Little Rock Lake near Rice suspicious.

Sauk Rapids Fire Chief Jason Fleming says there is up to a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of anyone involved in burning the former King’s Inn. The fire is under investigation by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office. Fleming says he couldn’t go into details but stated several findings at the scene indicated the fire could have been intentionally set.

Officials say the former gentlemen’s club had been abandoned for years, and there were no utilities connected to the building. Fleming says the building was structurally unsafe had to call a backhoe to tear the building down.

Multiple passing drivers reported the fire around 9 a.m. on Sunday. The fire caused smoke to billow over Highway 10, causing traffic delays. Fleming says firefighters were on scene until about 5 p.m. Along with Sauk Rapids, Sartell and Rice Fire Departments assisted on the scene.

If anyone has any information on the fire, they can call the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at 320-968-7201, the arson tip line 1-800-723-2020, or the state fire marshal.

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