April 24 – Fire departments from Virginia to Grand Rapids were dispatched this morning to a house fire in Hibbing. The fire was reported around 10:30 in the 3700 block of 5th Avenue East. One Hibbing firefighter was injured while fighting the blaze and was taken by Virginia Ambulance to the Hibbing hospital for treatment. No other information about the firefighter was available. The home received extensive damage. Fire departments on the scene included: Hibbing, Chisholm, Keewatin, Virginia, Nashwauk, Mountain Iron, and Grand Rapids. The Virginia and Chisholm Ambulance Services provided medical standby at the scene and were also available to cover EMS calls in the Hibbing area. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

April 16 – Thirty six public safety agencies throughout St. Louis County took part in tabletop drills held today at the Eveleth City Auditorium. St. Louis County Emergency Management Coordinator Josh Brinkman said nearly 70 representatives from the various organizations had to manage several wildland fire scenarios. In each of the scenarios, participants had to determine fire attack strategies based on available resources. To add to the exercises, the evacuation of people in the impacted areas was put into play. “The Incident Command System (ICS) was critical in all of these exercises,” said Brinkman. “It was a great learning experience because we involved people from a wide variety of disciplines ranging from fire departments to law enforcement agencies to public health and public works departments. Everyone played a key role in these drills. All of the scenarios were made as realistic as possible.”

April 14 – Five Nashwauk area fire departments battled a house fire in Nashwauk this morning. The blaze was called in around 10:15 in the 300 block of 3rd Street. A renter in the home was evaluated on the scene by personnel from the Nashwauk Ambulance Service. The two story house was extensively damaged while two nearby houses had damage to exterior sidings. The Nashwauk, Keewatin, Hibbing, Greenway, and Trout Lake fire departments were on the scene, along with the Nashwauk Ambulance Service, which provided medical standby. Traffic control was provided by the Nashwauk and Keewatin Police Departments, as well as the Itasca County Sheriff’s Department. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

April 11 – Ely fire officials have identified the victim of the fatal house fire in Ely earlier this month. The blaze on April 1 at 254 North 5th Avenue East resulted in the death of 64 year old Diane Larson. According to an Ely Fire Department news release, the cause of the fire was determined to be accidental.

April 9 – A home in Lakewood Township near Duluth was destroyed by fire this evening. Firefighters were dispatched shortly before 6:00 p.m. to the 3200 block of Beach Street. A family cat died in the fire. No human injuries were reported. The Lakewood, Duluth, Minnesota Air National Guard, Gnesen, Normanna, and Rice Lake fire departments responded to the call. The cause is under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office. According to the sheriff’s department, foul play is not suspected.

April 5 – The Normanna Fire Department conducted a Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) training session today at its fire station. The training involved a three car crash with over 10 patients who had a wide variety of injuries. Nearly 50 first responders participated in the exercise, which made it both powerful and realistic, according to organizers. Some of the skills highlighted during the training involved: Incident Command, Triage, Auto Extrication, Interagency Communication, and Interoperability. Multiple agencies were involved (Clifton Fire Department, Duluth Township, Lakewood Township Fire Department, Gnesen Fire Department, Pequaywan Lake Fire Department, North Star Fire Department, Grand Lake Fire Department, Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service, St. Louis County Rescue Squad, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, St. Louis County Emergency Management, St. Louis County Dispatch, Chaplain Bob). “These trainings help ensure that we’re ready when real-life emergencies occur,” said one of the organizers.

April 6 – The Cook Fire Department has started the development of an ice rescue team, which will serve the department’s coverage area. In order to move the team forward, Cook firefighters participated in an ice rescue course held today at Longyear Lake in Chisholm. Department officials told The Northland Fire Wire that they are moving ahead with more training and the purchase of specialized equipment. The department covers a large part of Lake Vermilion as well as the Littlefork River.