Late-night fire damages Owatonna furniture store

OWATONNA, Minn. (FOX 9) - A late-night fire in Owatonna on Tuesday caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages to a furniture store, officials say.

Fire crews responded to the report of a fire alarm around 11:20 p.m. in the Nelson Decorating Center in a plaza off Oakdale Street at South Cedar Avenue.

At the business, firefighters found some light smoke, but the fire had been controlled by the store's sprinkler system. Crews knocked down the rest of the fire and worked to ventilate the building.

The cause of the fire is unknown, but damages are estimated to be about $350,000. The Sherwin-Williams shop next door also saw some minor smoke and water damage, officials added.

Firefighters say the working sprinkler prevented a worse disaster.

"Having a working sprinkler system helped prevent more extensive damage to the business," Owatonna Fire Chief Ed Hoffman said in a provided statement. "This is a great reminder for other businesses that have sprinkler and fire alarm systems to have them inspected regularly to ensure they are working properly."

Investigators are now working to determine what sparked the flames. In a Facebook post, the Nelson Decorating Center said the business would be closed Wednesday and promised a future update.