Here’s a really great New Year’s Resolution for everyone. Practice Fire Safety every day. Be careful when cooking! Test your smoke and CO alarms monthly. Use caution with all kinds of fire from wood stoves camp fires. Let’s all work together to prevent fire tragedies in 2023,

December 26 – The Virginia Fire Department is working to determine the amount of damage to the department’s Ladder 1 aerial apparatus. The ladder truck was involved in a two vehicle crash around 7:00 this evening at the intersection of US Highway 53 and 12th Avenue South in Virginia. The other vehicle, a small SUV, had extensive front end damage. The ladder truck is drivable and operational. No injuries were reported. The ladder truck and its crew were returning from an emergency call at the time. The crash was investigated by the Minnesota State Patrol.

December 8 – Four Iron Range fire departments (Virginia, Mountain Iron, Eveleth, Hibbing) were dispatched early this morning to a house fire in Virginia. The fire was reported around 2:45 a.m. in the 1500 block of 11th Street South. Arriving firefighters contained the fire to one bedroom. The occupants were able to safely evacuate the house and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office.

Spring, Summer, Winter, or Fall; fire hydrants are critical to firefighting operations. During the winter, it is very important to keep them clear of snow. Here’s some good advice from the region’s fire departments.

December 3 – HIbbing and Chisholm firefighters were on the scene at Meadowview Apartments in Hibbing following a report of a fire in the building. Crews discovered what had been a small fire in some furniture in a third floor apartment. No injuries were reported. The incident was reported around 2:00 p.m. Firefighters were on the scene for about an hour. The Chisholm and Virginia departments were also dispatched, but later cancelled. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Hibbing Fire Marshal’s Office.

The Winter Heating Season is well underway and with it comes the possibility of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Make sure your furnace is in top operating condition and that you have a Carbon Monoxide detector.

November 27 – A late morning fire destroyed three vehicles north of Chisholm. The fire was reported around 11:05 a.m. in the 6300 block of the Dewey Lake Road. Initially dispatched as a recreational vehicle (RV) fire, arriving Chisholm firefighters found two RV’s and a car on fire. No injuries were reported and the cause of fire is under investigation.

With the colder weather, ice has started to form on area lakes and rivers. Here’s some ice safety information from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.