Cat dies from smoke inhalation from house fire in Ripon, significant damage reported
RIPON, Wis. (WFRV) – A cat died from smoke inhalation during a house fire in Ripon on Thursday morning, with the home suffering significant damage.
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office reported that dispatch received a call at 10:24 a.m. regarding smoke at a home located at W13819 Skyline Circle, with black smoke reportedly filling the interior.
What should your thermostat be set at during summer?
Deputies and fire crews arrived, locating the source of the smoke and containing flames before it spread throughout. The preliminary investigation indicated an electrical fire started in a workshop after a tool reportedly failed while plugged in.
The homeowners were not home; however, a cat inside died from smoke inhalation, while other pets were safely rescued. The rest of the house was significantly damaged by smoke and soot and has been deemed uninhabitable.
Lithium-ion battery blamed for small explosion in Fond du Lac home
While the fire is not believed to be suspicious, it is under investigation.
No additional details were provided
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Reality Star Claims Ex Barred Her From Attending Teen Son's Funeral
Two weeks after announcing that her 16-year-old son, Weston, had passed away unexpectedly, 16 and Pregnant star Whitney Purvis is leveling startling accusations at his father and stepmother. On Wednesday, Purvis, 33, took to Facebook to accuse Weston's father, Weston Gosa Sr., and stepmother, Amy Gosa of alienating her from their son during his life and intentionally keeping her out of his funeral arrangements—then implied they had been irresponsible with Weston's medical care before his death on June 2. Weston Gosa Sr. confirmed to TMZ that his son's cause of death was ruled as 'natural causes,' and both parents have said that Weston suffered from multiple autoimmune disorders, as well as diabetes. In two lengthy posts this morning, Purvis, who also shares son River, 11, with Gosa Sr., claimed he had told her the funeral, which took place last weekend, would begin at 4 p.m., when it actually started two hours earlier, then attempted to deny her entry when she was late. 'You had to be on a list to get into the funeral,' Purvis wrote. 'Guess who wasn't on the list? Me and all my friends and family were not allowed to come in… It wouldnt matter what time I got there I wasnt getting in.' Weston Gosa Sr. has strongly denied the allegations, telling TMZ he 'called Whitney personally a week in advance' and made clear the schedule: the viewing would run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., followed by the service straight afterwards. Gosa Sr. said he also 'made it clear the event would be tightly monitored with a strict guest list.' According to Gosa Sr., Purvis did not begin messaging him on the day of the funeral until around 5:10 p.m., at which point she called him 'evil' and accused him of deliberately keeping her off the guest list. Gosa Sr. said he responded with a photo of the guest list, which included her name. He also told TMZ that Purvis' family attended the service starting at around 3 p.m. Purvis' Facebook allegations mark the latest chapter in a years-long dispute between the former couple, who appeared together on the first season of MTV's 16 and Pregnant in 2009, while Purvis was pregnant with Weston Jr. The pair separated shortly after the series ended in 2014, and Gosa Sr. was granted full custody of both children in 2018. However, the former couple's legal trouble didn't end with their custody agreement. The 16 and Pregnant alum was arrested in 2015 for allegedly assaulting Gosa Sr. after breaking into his home through a window. Gosa Sr. obtained a restraining order against Purvis in 2020, alleging she had repeatedly threatened to murder him and his wife after the former couple got into an argument during a custody exchange. Purvis was arrested the following year and pleaded guilty on charges of 'felony Terroristic Threats and Acts' after making further threats to murder the Gosas. She was arrested again in 2024 for failing to pay child support to Gosa Sr. On Facebook, Purvis alleged that Gosa Sr. and his wife have deliberately painted her as a bad mother online while illegally keeping her away from their sons, violating their custody agreement, and ultimately keeping her out of Weston's funeral services. 'Ive let my sons father and [his] wife bash me online and make up their own narrative to make me sound horrible for years but im gonna stand up for myself this time,' Purvis wrote. 'No one deserves to go thru what they put me thru.' In perhaps the most shocking allegations, Purvis claimed that Gosa Sr. had violated their custody agreement by failing to provide medical insurance for Weston, who she said suffered from 'diabetes, Addison's disease, and alpha one [antitrypsin] deficiency.' 'His death could've been prevented,' Purvis added, explaining that her son 'should have had a Dexcom/glucose monitor that alerted when his sugar was going up or down to a dangerous level.' It's unclear whether Gosa Jr. was wearing a monitor at the time of his death, and his father has not addressed these allegations. 'In our custody order, he was supposed to have medical insurance on our kids; that was part of our agreement. That just doesn't sit right with me,' Purvis continued. 'I brought this up to [Gosa Sr.] a few days before the funeral, and he got mad, thinking I was accusing him of neglect, but I just wanted to understand.' Instead of providing medical insurance, Purvis alleges her ex took out a life insurance policy on their son. '[Gosa Sr.] bought five cars in the last six months but couldn't pay for medical insurance,' she added. In a June 3 Facebook post, Amy Gosa wrote that she had called an ambulance and attempted CPR after finding Weston unresponsive when she attempted to wake him that morning. She added that while his cause of death hadn't yet been confirmed, he had 'several health issues as well as diabetes.' Weston was later declared dead at the hospital. 'He was the most amazing son I could have asked for,' wrote Gosa. 'He was brilliant, smart, funny and had so much potential in life.' The Daily Beast has reached out to Purvis and Gosa for comment.
Fox News
25 minutes ago
- Fox News
Diddy's alleged 'drug mule' takes the stand with immunity deal; trial reveals dark secrets
Jurors in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial will hear from a close ally of the rapper when former Syracuse basketball player Brendan Paul takes the stand Friday. Paul became embroiled in Diddy's legal drama in April 2024, after he was named in a lawsuit filed by Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones against the disgraced mogul. The music producer claimed Paul worked as a "mule" for Combs, procuring and distributing "drugs and guns." The former college basketball star was then charged with felony cocaine possession, which was later dropped. Paul was given immunity in exchange for his testimony in Diddy's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial. Nicole Blank Becker explained that Paul may be a crucial witness to the government as it attempts to tie up loose ends and wrap its case against Diddy. "In this particular case, why [Brendan Paul] may be important is because he is allegedly one of the individuals who supplied the drugs," Becker told Fox News Digital. "The distribution of drugs, giving other people drugs to make them intoxicated and possibly do more than they would do had they not been intoxicated – that's a predicate felony. "In other words, in order to prove this particular charge of racketeering, there's got to be a number of other felonies that they can connect," the attorney said. "Whether it's the coercion of women and/or they indicated about how ... [Diddy] brought [escorts] in. That's one way to prove a predicate. You have to prove two of them. So, another way to prove a predicate felony is bring in the guy who supposedly is the one who was supplying P. Diddy and or his people with what [the government is] gonna say, the drugs that he used [on others.]" Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy (RICO); sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 17. Throughout two weeks of testimony, jurors heard allegations of "freak off" parties involving male escorts and Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. The "Me & U" singer testified that drugs, including ecstasy, ketamine and cocaine, were in regular circulation during the "freak offs" for her to disassociate during the sessions. Cassie admitted ecstasy made her feel euphoric and aroused, while ketamine would make her dissociative. She said cocaine made her heart race, mushrooms made her see things and GHB, also known as the date rape drug, made her feel drunk. Another ex, who testified under the pseudonym "Jane," told prosecutors there were times she felt coerced into hotel nights with Diddy and that the Bad Boy Records founder still pays for both her legal fees and rent. Jane recalled alleged instances of abuse while dating Diddy on and off for three years and up until the week before he was arrested in New York City on federal charges. Jane told the court Diddy asked her about coercion after he allegedly forced her to take drugs before having sex with a male escort. She testified about Diddy's alleged violent behavior and said he once put her in a chokehold after kicking and punching her. Diddy's criminal defense lawyer, Teny Geragos, questioned Jane about her relationship with the rapper and her participation in the allegedly forced "hotel nights." Diddy paid Jane's rent through their "love contract," according to her testimony. The ex-girlfriend told the prosecution she felt obligated to perform at "hotel nights" for the rapper because he had threatened to stop paying for her home. For "hotel nights," Jane claimed she was expected to dress in lingerie and have sex with other men in front of the rapper. Audio released in Diddy's sex trafficking and racketeering trial featured the rapper calling Jane a "crack pipe." Jane claimed she was forced to continue having sex with multiple male escorts after becoming sick. Becker, who works as R. Kelly's defense attorney, explained why the government might offer immunity to witnesses the government wants to testify. In Diddy's sex trafficking case, Paul was the fifth witness granted immunity. "It is very common, especially in federal cases, that immunity is given to witnesses if they have the information or the insight that they need for their case," Becker said. "Oftentimes, those individuals who are given immunity, although they may have crimes that they are either facing or faced, they're usually a lot less in the hierarchy of crimes. "They're usually lower crimes in which the government says, 'You know what, this information that this particular person has is so important that we are willing to forego whatever you've got going on in the criminal section or division now here so that we can have you testify in this bigger case.' WATCH: SEAN 'DIDDY' COMBS ASSAULTS CASSIE VENTURA IN 2016 HOTEL INCIDENT "Their goal, i.e. the government, is to get in as much possible information from anybody who knows anything." Nearly six weeks after the trial began, prosecutors indicated they'd rest their case by Friday. The rapper's legal team recently told Judge Arun Subramanian it will need between two and five days to present its case, a stark contrast to its initial request of up to two weeks with witnesses on the stand. Becker noted there were a lot of questions whether the government was "actually proving anything specific" to the charges Diddy faced. WATCH: LEGAL EXPERT DISCUSSES DIFFICULTIES WITH DIDDY TRIAL "Yes, there was domestic violence. Yes, there was some … relationships and physical violence happening, but does that rise to the level of what he's actually charged with in the federal court?" Becker said. "I think at the beginning there were question marks everywhere. However, I think as time goes on, what does the government do? "They just throw up witness after witness. Although those individual witnesses have their own story, together they form what they are trying to form, which is this step beneath P. Diddy, who's up here. And these individuals, each individual person has a role in what they're calling the enterprise." Becker said this was the connection the government was attempting to prove to the 12 jurors. "In a vacuum, if we just had the first witness or we just had Jane, who just testified, people, I think, would be a little confused, like, 'Wait a minute.' Maybe call him a bad boyfriend, a bad person, a bad husband for sure, based on what we see, for example, in the video," Becker said. "But does that rise to the level that the government needs to get to in order for an ultimate verdict of guilty? "I think, like I said, at the beginning, it was a little shaky. However, as time goes on, they are able to put in their different witnesses and really shape what they're trying to shape, which is to basically, you know, this charge of RICO in the United States. This has not, it was not initially made for purposes of the way it's being used now."
Fox News
29 minutes ago
- Fox News
Minnesota shooting timeline: Suspect Vance Boelter's last words to family before capture
Print Close By Audrey Conklin Published June 20, 2025 A Minnesota man is in custody after allegedly shooting two state lawmakers and their spouses, killing two Saturday morning. Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was captured in Sibley County after a two-day manhunt and now faces state and federal murder charges, among other crimes. He is accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, early Saturday morning at their Brooklyn Park home in Minneapolis. He also allegedly shot state Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their nearby Champlin home in a related attack. The Sibley County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Boelter "verbally" identified himself to authorities searching for him in the area on Sunday evening. MINNESOTA LAWMAKER HAPPENED TO BE ON VACATION WHEN MASKED SUSPECT KNOCKED ON DOOR "The face of evil," the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post Sunday, along with a photo of Boelter's capture. "After relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody. Thanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together along with support from the community, justice is one step closer." In the days since the shootings, officials have released more information in court records, establishing a clearer timeline of events: June 14 2 a.m. Authorities responded to a 911 call around 2:06 a.m. Saturday from the Hoffmans' daughter reporting that her parents — John and Yvette — had been shot in their home in Champlin. Both victims were transported to a nearby hospital and are expected to recover. MINNESOTA SHOOTING SUSPECT VANCE BOELTER TO FACE FEDERAL CHARGES IN LAWMAKER ATTACKS Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., shared a message from Hoffman's wife on Sunday, saying John was shot nine times and Yvette was struck eight times. "John is enduring many surgeries right now and is closer every hour to being out of the woods," Yvette wrote in a message to Klobuchar. "He took [nine] bullet hits. I took [eight] and we are both incredibly lucky to be alive. We are gutted and devastated by the loss of Melissa and Mark. There is never a place for this kind of political hate." HEAR THE DISPATCH CALL: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said "the heroic actions by the Hoffman family and their daughter Hope saved countless lives" during a news conference Sunday. "The latest news is Sen. Hoffman came out of his final surgery and is moving toward that, toward recovery," Walz said at Sunday night's news conference. 2:24 a.m. After the shooting at the Hoffmans' home, Boelter traveled to the home of another Minnesota state representative in the Maple Grove neighborhood, according to court documents and acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson, who spoke during a news conference Monday announcing federal charges against Boelter. MINNESOTA LAWMAKER SHOOTING SUSPECT HAD CACHE OF WEAPONS, HIT LIST IN VEHICLE, COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW Around 2:24 a.m. Saturday, he knocked on the unnamed state lawmaker's door, but no one answered. The lawmaker and his wife were on vacation. Thompson described security footage as "haunting" because the suspect still had on the silicon mask and police uniform worn at the Hoffmans' shooting. "Boelter planned his attack carefully." — Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson 2:36 a.m. Just minutes after knocking on the Maple Grove family's door, Boelter allegedly traveled to another state senator's home in New Hope, Minnesota. Boelter parked on the street in his black SUV. New Hope police dispatched an officer to the state senator's home to conduct a wellness check. Upon arrival, an officer located Boelter's SUV parked on the block with its lights on, according to the U.S. attorney. "The New Hope police officer pulled up next to Boelter … rolled down her window and attempted to speak with him. Boelter did not respond," Thompson said. "The New Hope police officer proceeded to the state senator's home, and she waited for law enforcement to arrive. … By the time they did, Boelter had left the scene." SUSPECTED MINNESOTA LAWMAKER ASSASSIN VANCE BOELTER CAPTURED 3:35 a.m. Boelter then traveled to the Hortmans' home in Brooklyn Park, where he allegedly shot Melissa and Mark while wearing the same police uniform and mask. Officials had been "proactively" dispatched to the Hortmans' home in the Brooklyn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis after hearing what had happened at the Hoffmans' home. Upon arrival at around 3:35 a.m., officers witnessed the suspect shoot one of the victims through the open front door. Officers discovered both victims dead from gunshot wounds inside the house, according to a probable cause statement. MINNESOTA OFFICIALS FIND CAR, HAT BELONGING TO ASSASSIN SUSPECT VANCE BOELTER ON HIGHWAY IN 'FLUID' SEARCH Police exchanged gunfire with Boelter before he fled the area, court documents state. "Question is, how important was it that the police officer stopped at Rep. Hortman's house, which really foiled this entire plan?" Thompson asked during Monday's press conference. "It's incredibly important. That started with a sergeant who was actually off duty – was walking out of the building and had heard that there was a shooting in another community at Sen. Hoffman's house, [and] being alert, said to officers and the police department, 'Hey, drive by Melissa Hortman's house and just check on the house, would you?' And that's essentially why they pulled up and found [him] in the drive." Thomspon added "the criminal act was occurring" when officers arrived at the Hortmans' home. "It's no exaggeration to say this is the stuff of nightmares." — Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson "Had they not foiled the plan … essentially took his vehicle away from him, which involved all his maps, all his names, all his weaponry – I would be very scared what it would look like over the next few hours had [they] not done that," the U.S. attorney said. 5:30 a.m. The Brooklyn Park Police Department issued a shelter-in-place order for residents in the area, FOX 9 Minneapolis first reported. SUSPECT IN SHOOTING OF MINNESOTA LAWMAKER CHARGED WITH MURDER, STALKING; FACES LIFE IN PRISON OR DEATH 6:18 a.m. Boelter texted his family members at 6:18 a.m. Saturday after the shootings, according to court documents. "Dad went to war last night… I don't wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody," the alleged text says. Around the same time, Boelter allegedly sent a message to his wife stating, "Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation… there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around." 7 a.m. Boelter meets a witness, identified only as Witness 1 in court documents, at a bus stop in north Minneapolis. DRAMATIC PHOTOS SHOW MINNESOTA LAWMAKER'S HOME DAMAGED IN SHOOTING AS MANHUNT FOR SUSPECT CONTINUES Witness 1 told police Boelter, whom he did not know, was carrying two duffel bags and asked to purchase an electric bike from the witness. The witness agreed, and they boarded the bus to the witness' home. Once there, Boelter allegedly asked to purchase the witness' Buick sedan, and the witness agreed, according to the probable cause statement. Boelter then drove the sedan to a bank in Robinsdale and withdrew $2,000. Cameras captured him wearing a cowboy hat at the time. The suspect allegedly paid the witness $900 for the e-bike and sedan. 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Officials host a news conference announcing the Hortmans were pronounced dead after officials were dispatched to their home that morning. Gov. Tim Walz urged the public not to attend political rallies scheduled for that Saturday in Minneapolis. Sometime Saturday morning, Boelter's wife, Jennifer Boelter, "consented to a search of her car," the probable cause statement states. "From the car, law enforcement recovered two handguns, approximately $10,000 in cash, and passports for Mrs. Boelter and her children, who were in the car with Mrs. Boelter at the time," the document states. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Associated Press first identified Vance Luther Boelter as a suspect in the related Saturday morning shootings. Local records show Gov. Walz and former Gov. Mark Dayton appointed the suspect to the nonpartisan workforce development board in 2019 and 2016, respectively. His term on the board expired in 2023. Officials served a search warrant at a Minneapolis home where Boelter was renting a room with two other roommates. He stayed there some nights to be closer to work, while his family lived in a different home in Green Isle, the Star Tribune reported. Authorities set up a staging area near Boelter's Green Isle home Saturday afternoon. Around 3 p.m. Saturday, authorities officially named Boelter as a suspect in the shootings. 4 p.m. The FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's arrest. June 15 2:30 a.m. Authorities received information about an individual riding an e-bike about two miles northeast of Boelter's home in Green Isle. 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The search for Boelter continued into Sunday morning, with Sibley County authorities issuing a be-on-the-lookout alert for Boelter to residents just before 11 a.m. Officials located the suspect's vehicle and cowboy hat off Highway 25 in Faxon Township Sunday morning, leading numerous law enforcement agencies and about 20 SWAT teams to respond to the area to search for Boelter in the rural suburban farming community. Read the complaint: Authorities uncovered a disturbing arsenal in Boelter's possession, documents said. Inside his vehicle, registered to him, police found three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm handgun and a list of names and addresses of other public officials. 5:30 p.m. Minneosta authorities held a news conference early Sunday evening, calling the search for Boelter "fluid." 9:10 p.m. Law enforcement located Boelter "in a field" about a mile from his Green Isle home just after 9 p.m. Sunday. The Sibley County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Boelter "verbally" identified himself to authorities searching for him in the area on Sunday evening. Sibley County resident Kevin Effertz, who owns the property where Boelter was arrested, told Fox News Digital Monday that a friend who stopped by his home Sunday saw something suspicious. "She saw this guy out in the field that was by himself, dressed in black, just with his back toward her," Effertz said. "When she started coming down the driveway, he ducked down, which made her kind of suspicious." WATCH SIBLEY COUNTY RESIDENT'S INTERVIEW: The friend then "waved down" a police officer nearby, who told her to go to a safe area. "Within 20 minutes, she called me back and said they already had him," Effertz said. 10:30 p.m. Officials held a news conference announcing the suspect's arrest. Speaking at a news conference alongside other law enforcement officers after Boelter's arrest, Brooklyn Park Police Department Chief Mark Bruley said there were more than 20 different SWAT teams involved in the search. He described it as "the largest manhunt in the state's history." The manhunt included officers from multiple agencies on foot as well as the use of a helicopter. The Hennepin County District Court issued a criminal complaint charging Boelter with four felony counts of second-degree murder with intent (not premeditated). June 16 11 a.m. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced that it would be pursuing first-degree murder charges against Boelter. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP His bail was set at $5 million. 12 p.m. U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson announced new federal charges against the suspect, including two counts of stalking, two counts of murder and two counts of gun-related crimes related to the Saturday shootings. Print Close URL
