EMBARRASS— The remains of a once-popular community-gathering spot were finally burned to the ground here this past weekend as part of a live training conducted by the Advanced Minnesota fire training program at Mesabi Community College.

Four Corners Café, which served up hearty small town fare at the intersection of Hwy. 135 and County Road 21 beginning in the 1950s, was also a convenience store and the only gas station in Embarrass.

The cost of upgrading pumps and economic woes in the wake of the 2008 financial crash pushed the once-thriving operation out of business. An effort to revive the café in 2014 never got off the ground.

Since then, the building deteriorated even more and had become a community eyesore, prompting interest in the live burn training. Jeff Mayer, who directs the fire school in Virginia said it had taken several months to put the project together, including making sure that dangerous and polluting materials were removed from the building prior to burning.

The Embarrass Volunteer Fire Department provided the apparatus for the burn, which helped train new firefighters from across the Range. “They did a fabulous job of making it an excellent and safe burn,” said Mayer, of the Embarrass crew.

The future of the site isn’t clear, although Mayer said he’s heard that the current owner, Paul Berens, is considering some kind of business at the site. The live burn should help facilitate that by substantially reducing demolition costs. “It’s the difference between 20 dump truck loads and two,” said Mayer.