FLANDREAU – The Flandreau Meat Locker, located at 114 W. Second Ave., caught fire just before noon Thursday.

As of Thursday evening, the full extent of the damage and a cause for the fire were not yet known.

According to the Moody County Sheriff’s Office, the fire started toward the back of the building and spread. As the fire continued, flames engulfed the east side of the building, causing the roof to collapse.

Fire departments from Flandreau, Colman, Trent, Dell Rapids, Pipestone, Elkton and Brookings were on site.

Between 50-60 firefighters from the towns cycled in and out to fight the fire throughout the day. Crews were on site from before noon until after 6 p.m.

Additional first responders included Moody County EMS, Flandreau Police Department, Moody County Sheriff’s Office and the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribal Police.

The City of Flandreau issued a statement on the fire Thursday night:

“On behalf of the entire community of Flandreau, the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe and the Flandreau Development Corporation, we want to express our most heartfelt condolences to the Tyler and Sarah Kills-a-Hundred family who own and operate the Flandreau Meat Locker.

“The Kills-a-Hundreds lost their small but vibrant and successful business this afternoon in a fire. The business has been a part of their family for generations, and that the young couple only took over in recent years, raising it to a whole new level of success.

“The Flandreau Meat Locker’s custom work made it a downtown destination for locals and regional fans alike. Sarah and Tyler give back to their community whenever they can. We plan, as a community, to do everything possible to help the family and business rebuild.”