COOK — Authorities identified two women as the victims of a July 17 house fire in Beatty Township near Cook.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office identified 69-year-old Raeann Pry of Cook and believes the other woman to be 67-year-old Susan Hein, also of Cook, according to a news release on Wednesday.
First responders were dispatched at 9:20 p.m. on July 17 to a report of a house fire outside of Cook and arrived to find the house engulfed in flames.
The cause and origin of the fire is undetermined at this time, though the county sheriff's office stated there is no indication of suspicious circumstances surrounding the fire or the deaths.
-
Lorie Shaull/KAXEAbout a half-inch of rain fell across the area overnight into Tuesday, and crews are expected to return to work on securing and improving the fire lines again. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEIn their final hours before the session ended, lawmakers passed a county hospital bailout, an infrastructure bill and small cuts to car tab fees and property taxes. -
Contributed/Ellen Schmidt / MinnPost / CatchLight Local / Report for AmericaHere’s what made it into the Legislature's infrastructure package and what lawmakers and others had to say about it May 17, 2026. -
Contributed/St. Louis County Sheriff's OfficeFirefighters responded to a wildland fire between Orr and Crane Lake on Friday, May 15, 2026. After returning to the airport, it was learned a bullet appeared to have struck one of the planes. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEEvacuated homeowners will be able to return to their properties for the day, Monday, May 18, 2026. Crow Wing County declared a local emergency, the first step toward state disaster aid. -
Contributed/Screenshot of St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay Facebook pageSt. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said the fire was one of at least a half-dozen blazes in the county as high winds, low humidity and drought conditions persisted. -
Contributed/Minnesota Department of Natural ResourcesThe agency said it is also close to finishing upgrades on the pier on Sand Lake near Warba. -
Contributed/Mississippi Headwaters BoardThe Legislature must take action by Sunday night, May 17, 2026, to avoid the impacts on the Outdoor Heritage Fund projects set to begin or continue in coming months. -
Contributed/Nicole Neri / Minnesota ReformerThe deal is Gov. Tim Walz’s last, as his term ends in January and he’s not seeking reelection. The deadlocked Minnesota House — jointly controlled by Republicans and Democrats — has tempered Walz’s ambitions. -
Contributed/Hennepin CountyThe guilty plea comes more than a year after the Grand Rapids Republican's arrest as part of an undercover law enforcement sting operation.
