UPDATE: THE THIEF RIVER FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS SINCE IDENTIFIED HIM AS MARC GORMAN BEITO, 37.
A man was found dead Monday evening after a fire at an apartment building at 504 Knight Ave. N. in Thief River Falls. The man, whose name hadn’t been released as of Tuesday morning, was found dead in the basement apartment where the fire started. Fire Chief Rick Beier said the fire then spread to the exterior of the home and the attic. Two other apartments are also located at the apartment building, which sustained substantial damage. Von Hutchinson owns the building. The fire was reported at 5:50 p.m. Monday. Firefighters remained at the scene for nearly five hours. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but law enforcement doesn’t suspect foul play at this time.