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St. Paul, Minn.

Sprinklers saving houses in Ham Lake fire

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The Ham Lake fire has destroyed about 130 structures, a total which includes more than 60 homes. Many of the buildings that have not burned were saved because they are equipped with exterior sprinkler systems.

Many of those systems were installed by a company called Wildfire Sprinkler, which was started by George Carlson after the Boundary Waters blowdown in 1999.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked with Carlson, who estimates that his sprinklers have saved at least 50 properties since the current fire began.