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House Near Rapidan Dam Falls Into Blue Earth River
The scene was captured on video Tuesday night. County officials are monitoring the river for "downstream impacts" from the collapse.
BLUE EARTH COUNTY, MN — The house on the edge of the Blue Earth River near the Rapidan Dam fell into the water Tuesday night.
The scene was captured on video. Blue Earth County Public Works is monitoring the river for "downstream impacts" from the collapse.
The river undercut the property after the Rapidan Dam was breached on Monday due to heavy flooding and clogging debris.
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The property housed a family and a popular store and cafe.
"We know we're losing the house," Jenny Barnes, who grew up in the house, told the Star Tribune Tuesday afternoon. "We know that for sure. There's no going back inside the house."
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The 114-year-old Rapidan Dam near Mankato was breached after the river swelled due to an onslaught of recent heavy rains in Minnesota.
On Monday, authorities alerted residents that water was surging over the dam while debris began clogging the structure.
Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.
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