Whitehall man killed in fire

An 86-year-old Whitehall man has been killed after catching fire while attempting to have a controlled burn in the town of Hale on Friday.

The man —whose name was not released by the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department — indicated that he had started a brush fire before his clothes caught fire, according to the release sent by the department. He was flown to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for his injuries, but passed away at 11:30 p.m. 

The fire occurred along Gavel Road and remained under investigation by the sheriff’s department and the Hale Fire Department as of Monday of this week. The fire was reported at 1:18 p.m. on Friday. 

Assisting at the scene were fire departments from Osseo, Pigeon, Independence and Whitehall.