A large fire on Friday morning has destroyed a Paynesville area home. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office and Paynesville Fire Department responded to the scene at around 6:10 a.m. Authorities arrived at the home of Ronald Lahr to find heavy smoke and flames. Lahr was not home at the time of the blaze Crews put out the flames and called in the Stearns County Criminal Investigations Division and State Fire Marshal's Office. The preliminary investigation determined the fire started in the kitchen due to an electrical malfunction of an appliance. No one was hurt, but the house is considered a total loss.