The Northland FireWire

April 16 – Firefighters from nine Iron Range fire departments (Hibbing, Chisholm, Keewatin, Cherry, Clinton, French Township, Mountain Iron, Kinney-Great Scott, Nashwauk) along with the Minnesota DNR battled a huge wildland fire this afternoon near the Mitchell Bridge, along Minnesota Highway 169 in Hibbing. The fire was reported around 1:00 p.m. Dry conditions and high winds pushed the blaze into a salvage yard and threatened the nearby C&L Distributing (Sunny Hill Distributing) warehouse. Several tire piles became engulfed in flames, resulting in large plumes of black smoke filling the sky. Several explosions were also heard. Traffic along the southbound lanes of Highway 169 was reduced to one lane through the efforts of Hibbing Police, Minnesota State Patrol, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Hibbing Fire Chief Erik Jankila, who was Incident Commander, directed the firefighting operations into a couple of sectors to maximize resources. Incident command was terminated around 5:30 p.m. The cause of fire is under investigation, but may have started from a power line.

The National Weather Service, because of high winds and dry conditions, issued a Red Flag Warning for northeastern Minnesota including: St. Louis, Lake, Cook, and Itasca counties.

April 14 – Fire destroyed a garage this morning in the Donnywood Acres area, north of Virginia. The fire was reported around 9:45 a.m. The garage was engulfed in flames when crews arrived. Departments on the scene included: Pike-Sandy-Britt, Mountain Iron, Virginia, and Cook. The garage is a total loss. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office. The Virginia Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene.

April 7 – An early afternoon fire caused extensive damage to the iconic International Falls Band Shell located in Smokey Bear Park. The fire was reported shortly after 1:00 p.m. Because the structure was made mostly of wood, the fire spread quickly and was difficult to bring under control. Fire crews were on the scene for five hours and according to the International Falls Fire Department, the cause of the fire was determined to be incendiary. The fire remains under investigation by the International Falls Fire Department, International Falls Police Department, and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.

March 27 – Firefighters from three departments (Pike-Sandy-Britt, Cook, Kinney-Great Scott) battled a house fire late this afternoon in the 9500 block of St. Louis County Highway 65 near Lake Leander. The house was engulfed in flames when crews arrived. No one was home at the time. The house was a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

There was a house fire on the Bois Forte Reservation on March 24. As it turned out, this was a fatal fire involving 66 year old Gordon Adams Jr., who perished in the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bois Forte Police Department.

March 18 – Biwabik, Lakeland, and Gilbert firefighters participated in ice and water rescue training this evening at Embarrass Lake near Biwabik. Photos submitted by the City of Biwabik Fire Department.