Small town Minnesota grocery, cafe, gas station gutted by fire

A grocery store that also operates as a cafe and gas station in a small Minnesota town in central Minnesota was significantly damaged by a fire early Tuesday morning.

Northwoods Grocery & Cafe, a popular store located at 200 Bunyan Trail Drive in Nevis, suffered extensive damage when it caught fire. The Hubbard County Sheriff's Office says the blaze was reported at 5:48 a.m. Tuesday, with local firefighters and police responding to the store to find it "actively burning."

"The business and area residents were evacuated due to the location of some propane tanks and a gas station attached to the building," the sheriff's office said in a press release.

Firefighters from Nevis, Park Rapids and Akeley fought the fire for several hours.

"The business received extensive damage," the release said. "The cause of the fire isbeing investigated by the State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office."

It's unclear if the store will be able to reopen.