BROOKINGS — Authorities in Brookings County are investigating a Tuesday house fire near the “S” curve south of Brookings that took the life of a resident living there.

Family members confirmed the man was Lyle Monsees, 94, who resided at 21709 471^st Ave. He was well-known in the area for his love of tractors — especially Oliver ones — that showed not only via the Oliver collection he kept, but also when he would drive them in area parades. Those parades included ones in Brookings, Prairie Village near Madison, Menno, Humboldt and more.

In a news release Thursday morning, Brookings County Assistant Sheriff Scott Sebring said the blaze was reported at 4:17 p.m. Tuesday, and that it brought a response from virtually every fire department in the county, including Volga, Sinai, Arlington, Bruce, White, Aurora and Elkton.

“When crews arrived, flames were already exiting the house from a window and the rest of the structure was filled with both smoke and flames,” Sebring said. “Firefighters were quickly able to enter the structure, still on fire and locate a resident inside the house.”

It was Monsees. Sebring said it was immediately determined that he was dead. Firefighters spent the next several hours battling the blaze and were able to save a “significant portion” of the structure, Sebring noted.

He added that the source of the fire, along with the cause of Monsees’ death, is being investigated by the sheriff’s office, the South Dakota State Fire Marshal’s Office, the South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Eidsness Funeral and Cremation Services in Brookings is handling Monsees’ arrangements.

— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.