May 8 – Fire crews from Pike-Sandy-Britt, U.S. Forest Service, and Minnesota DNR were dispatched this afternoon to a pick-up truck fire which spread into a wildland fire along U.S. Highway 53, about 15 miles north of Virginia. The fire was reported around 3:30 just off of the northbound lane. The pick-up was a total loss and less than an acre of land appeared to have been burned. No injuries were reported. The Minnesota State Patrol provided traffic control. The cause of the pickup truck fire is under investigation.

May 8 – Fire destroyed a United Parcel Service (UPS) truck in downtown Tower late this afternoon. The fire was reported around 5:30 in the 300 block of Main Street, next to Zup’s Supermarket. A nearby SUV was also damaged. No injuries were reported. Firefighters from Tower, Breitung Township, Cook, Vermilion Lake Township and Eagles Nest Township responded while the Ely Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene. Traffic control came the from Breitung Police Department and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

May 4 – Two people were hospitalized this afternoon, the result of a grass fire which spread to a trailer home in Biwabik Township. The Biwabik Township, Biwabik, Lakeland, and Fayal Township fire departments were initially dispatched around 4:50 to a report that a grass fire was spreading to underneath the trailer, located in the Lakeland Trailer Home Park on St. Louis County Highway 4. The Aurora, Palo, and Gilbert departments were called in for additional assistance. The Biwabik Ambulance Service transported two people to the Aurora hospital for treatment as a result of smoke inhalation. It appeared that the trailer home had extensive damage as the fire had extended into the interior of the structure. Both the Biwabik and Hoyt Lakes ambulance services provided medical standby at the scene. The fire is being investigated by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.

May 2 – One person was injured, the result of a late night fire at the 7th Avenue Apartments in Hibbing. The Hibbing, Chisholm, Keewatin, and Virginia fire departments were dispatched around 11:10 to the apartment complex, located in the 3200 block of 7th Avenue East. Arriving Hibbing firefighters found smoke and flames coming from a second floor apartment. The crews initiated an exterior attack to knock down the flames, which allowed firefighters to then enter the apartment and rescue the lone woman occupant. The woman was taken by ambulance to the nearby Hibbing hospital and then airlifted to the Hennepin County Medical Center for further treatment. One apartment was extensively damaged while two others had smoke and water damage. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Hibbing Fire Marshal’s Office and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office. The Chisholm, Virginia, and Eveleth ambulance services provided medical standby.

May 4 – A barn was extensively damaged and several acres of land were consumed, the result of a wildland fire this afternoon in Cherry Township. Firefighters from Cherry, Clinton, Kinney-Great Scott, Mountain Iron, and the Minnesota DNR were dispatched shortly before 3:00 p.m. to the fire on the Spirit Lake Road. No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation.

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.