The Northland FireWire

September 15 – The Virginia Fire Department and Virginia Police Department have announced that a house fire on Sunday, September 13 was arson. The fire was reported around 8:50 a.m. in the 100 block of 6th Street South. Arriving Virginia firefighters found smoke coming from the main floor of the house. A small fire was discovered on the main floor and quickly extinguished. Eveleth and Mountain Iron firefighters also responded. No injuries were reported. Those with information about the fire should call the Arson Hotline at: 1-800-723-2020.

September 10 – A large home near Cook on the western side of Lake Vermilion was destroyed by fire last night. The Cook Fire Department got the dispatch around 9:55 p.m. The blaze was initially reported as a chimney fire, which had spread to the roof of the house. Fire department paged to the fire included: Cook, Greenwood, Orr, Tower, Pike-Sandy-Britt, Evergreen, and the Lake Vermilion Fire Brigade. The Cook Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene.

August 25 – The Moose Event Center in downtown Hibbing was destroyed this morning by a fast moving fire. The blaze was reported around 10:30 a.m. when smoke was discovered on the second floor of the building. Hibbing firefighters tried an offensive interior attack, but conditions worsened and Hibbing Fire Chief Erik Jankila ordered a defensive attack. Multiple fire departments from Grand Rapids to Hibbing to Fayal Township were on the scene. Three aerial ladders from Hibbing, Virginia, and Grand Rapids were used in the attack. No injuries were reported. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting in determining the cause of the blaze.

August 17 – The Vermilion Lake Township Fire Department got some very good news last week. The department was notified that it will be receiving an Assistance to Firefighters’ Grant (AFG). The grant, in the amount of $73,333.33, is for Operations and Safety. A fire department official told The Northland Fire Wire that the department is very pleased to be receiving the much needed funding, which will be used for the purchase of SCBA’s and turnout gear. The Vermilion Lake Township Fire Department serves part of the Lake Vermilion area near Tower. The AFG funding is provided by the US Department of Homeland Security.

August 13 – The Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting the Hibbing Fire Department in investigating this morning’s building fire in Hibbing. The fire was reported around 11:15 a.m. at 24th Street and 4th Avenue East. Arriving Hibbing firefighters found light smoke coming from the three story building. A small fire was discovered in the basement and quickly extinguished. No one was in there he building at the time. No injuries were reported. Departments on the scene included: Hibbing, Keewatin, Chisholm, and Virginia.

August 13 – Six Iron Range fire departments battled a fire this morning at Quad Cities Recycling on County Road 921 in Virginia, near the St. Louis County Public Works Complex. The fire was reported around 7:00 a.m. and arriving Virginia firefighters found smoke coming from the building. Crews began with an exterior attack from two man doors at the front of the building and then transitioned to an interior attack. Damages were contained to the interior of the structure. No damage estimate is available. No injuries were reported. Departments on the scene included: Virginia, Eveleth, Moutain Iron, Fayal, Gilbert, and Hibbing. The cause is under investigation.

August 9 – Six Iron Range fire departments battled a basement fire early this morning in Virginia. The fire was reported around 5:30 a.m. in the 1000 block of 7th Avenue North. The residents safely evacuated the large house before firefighters arrived. The fire was contained to the basement with some extension to the first floor. The entire house had varying degrees of smoke damage. Fire departments on the scene included: Virginia, Eveleth, Mountain Iron, Gilbert, Fayal Township, and Hibbing. No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation. The American Red Cross is assisting those displaced by the fire.

August 3 – Firefighters from several St. Louis County departments battled a semi tanker truck fire this afternoon on U.S. Highway 53 near Cotton. The fire was reported around 1:00 p.m. in the northbound lane, just north of the Three Lakes Road. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the rear wheels of the tanker and initial reports said there was no spillage of product at the scene. Fire departments dispatched to the fire included: Cotton, Ellsburg, Northland, Alborn, and the Minnesota Air National Guard in Duluth. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation. The semi tanker truck is owned by Edwards Oil of Virginia. The northbound lane was closed for over an hour.

July 5 – A 73 year old man and a 68 year old woman sustained non-life threatening injuries when the single engine airplane they were in crashed this afternoon near the Eveleth-Virginia Airport. The plane went down in Fayal Township, near the intersection of the Bodas and Clyde roads. The Fayal Fire Department, Eveleth Fire Department, Gilbert Fire Department, Central Lakes Fire Department, Lakeland Fire Department, Eveleth Ambulance, Virginia Ambulance, Hibbing Ambulance, and St. Louis County Rescue Squad were dispatched to the area around 3:00 p.m. Within an hour, the wreckage of the plane was located and later, the pilot and passenger were found walking north of the crash site. Both were transported by Eveleth and Virginia ambulances to Essentia Health-Virginia. The cause of the crash is under investigation. WDIO-TV contributed to this story.

July 5 – Over a dozen Iron Range fire departments were on the scene of a large house fire in the northside area of Virginia. The fire was reported around 11:20 a.m. in the 700 block of 11th Street North. Just prior to the arrival of Virginia firefighters, a Virginia police officer used a neighbor’s ladder to rescue a toddler and two adults from the roof of the front porch. One Virginia firefighter was treated on the scene for heat exhaustion as temperatures on the fire scene were in the low 90’s. The house is deemed a total loss and houses on each side were damaged. Fire departments responding to the fire besides Virginia included: Mountain Iron, Eveleth, Fayal Township, Gilbert, Biwabik, Biwabik Township, Clinton, Cherry, Hibbing, Pike-Sandy-Britt, Cook, and Hoyt Lakes. The Eveleth and Biwabik ambulance services provided emergency medical services in the area and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Rescue Squad assisted in providing rehabilitation services at the scene. The Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of the blaze.