Fire Destroys Small Minnesota Town’s Only Grocer

The small northern Minnesotan town of Babbitt has lost its only grocery story in a huge fire that caused an estimated $1 million in damage.

Babbitt Fire Chief Ryan Scharber tells the Duluth News Tribune the first started about 2 a.m. Saturday and firefighters were still at the scene hours later.

The fire destroyed Zup’s grocery store and the adjoining Babbitt Drug Store. Scharber says three other business sustained heavy water damage, the Babbitt Weekly News, New Dimensions gym and a U.S. Bank branch.

Scharber says the grocery store and pharmacy were probably the two most important businesses in town. The nearest grocery store is now in Ely, about a 15-minute drive away.

Scharber says investigators haven’t determined the cause of the fire, but it is not considered suspicious.