February 26- Firefighters from four Iron Range departments were dispatched late this afternoon to a fire at Sammy’s Pizza in downtown Hibbing. The fire was reported around 4:50 p.m. Damages were contained to fan area in the kitchen. No injuries were reported and the cause appears to be an electrical problem. A Facebook post from Sammy’s says the restaurant will be closed for an extended period of time while repairs are made. Fire departments dispatched to the fire included: Hibbing, Keewatin, Chisholm, and Virginia.

February 24- Multiple fire departments were paged this morning to a large house fire near downtown Virginia. The blaze was reported around 9:10 a.m. in the 100 block of 1st Street South. One house was heavily involved in flames when Virginia firefighters arrived. A nearby house had extensive exterior damage. Virginia Fire Department officials told The Northland Fire Wire that no injuries were reported, but several pets were unaccounted for. Seven fire departments were on the scene including: Virginia, Eveleth, Mountain Iron, Hibbing, Gilbert, Pike-Sandy-Britt, and Fayal Township. “This fire was tough to fight because it was in a large structure and apparently had advanced quite rapidly before we arrived,” said Virginia Fire Chief Allen Lewis. “We also had to deal with sub-zero weather and that puts a great deal of strain on the firefighters and equipment. We are thankful that the nearby Fayal Fire Department has a rehabilitation trailer, which was extremely beneficial in this fire.” The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office with assistance from the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.

February 23 – Four Iron Range fire departments were dispatched late this evening to a structure fire in Hibbing. The blaze was reported around 11:45 in the 2800 block of 3rd Avenue East. Smoke and flames were seen coming from the building when crews arrived. The fire was quickly knocked down as the result of an aggressive interior fire attack. No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation by the Hibbing Fire Marshal’s Office. No damage estimate is available. Fire departments responding to the call included: Hibbing, Chisholm, Keewatin, and Virginia.

February 20- Duluth firefighters were dispatched around 2:20 this afternoon to a fire at the under construction Essentia Health Vision Northland building in the downtown area. Three propane tanks near the building were involved. Firefighters began spraying water on the three burning tanks while other crews worked to determine if anything else was on fire. The fire did cause some external damage to the outside of the building. No injuries were reported and the Duluth Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire. The area around the building was closed for a number of hours. No damage estimate is available at this time.

February 17 – An After Action Review (AAR) was held this week (Tuesday-February 15) on the evacuation of the Columbia/Rouchleau apartment complex in Virginia on January 26th. The orderly evacuation was required as a result of a heating emergency (boiler problems) impacting both buildings. With the assistance of multiple agencies, 147 residents and 100 pets were safely moved to the Iron Trail Motors Event Center in Virginia and then to temporary housing at local hotels, motels, and family residences. “Tuesday’s AAR was a great opportunity to review a successful, unprecedented evacuation in the City of Virginia,” said Virginia Fire Chief Allen Lewis, who was also the Incident Commander during the evacuation. “Due to the clear communications and partnerships previously established among the multiple agencies, it was a safe and orderly evacuation. The Virginia Fire Department is grateful for the agencies and personnel who worked seamlessly together in order to assure the safety of all of the evacuees. This event clearly demonstrates the importance of cooperative working relationships as none of us can exist in an operational silo. We serve the public better when we all work together,” added Lewis. Some of the agencies assisting in the evacuation included: the Virginia Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Arrowhead Transit, St. Louis County Public Health, St. Louis County Rescue Squad, Virginia Police Department, American Red Cross, and the AKC Mobile Pet Evacuation Team. The Mountain Iron Fire Department, Biwabik Ambulance Service, Eveleth Ambulance Service, and Tower Ambulance Service were also on standby in case other emergencies occurred in the Virginia area.

February 13-A garage in Virginia’s Southside area was destroyed by fire this morning. The blaze was reported around 10:00 a.m. in the 500 block of 11th Street South. The garage was engulfed in flames when the first crews arrived. The garage is a total loss and a nearby garage had smoke and water damage. No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation. Fire departments dispatched to the blaze included: Virginia, Eveleth, Mountain Iron, and Hibbing.

January 21 – Firefighters from Eveleth, Fayal Township, Gilbert, Virginia, and Mountain Iron were dispatched to a garage fire in Eveleth this afternoon. The fire was reported around 2:45 p.m. in the 700 block of South South. The garage was totally engulfed in flames when the first crews arrived. No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation. The Eveleth Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene.

January 3 – A true advocate for fire departments in Minnesota has retired. Todd Vogelgesang, better known as “Tin Shed Todd” was able to get virtually millions of dollars in excess property to departments, especially those serving the small rural communities. From hose to nozzles to turn-out gear to apparatus, Todd was the “go to” person who seemed to be always there to help. The walls in his Grand Rapids office contained dozens of pictures of surplus engines and water tenders which went to fire departments. The “tin shed” contained all kinds of surplus equipment including those infamous green army blankets. Minnesota DNR officials have high praised for Todd. “He changed the world for local fire departments one piece of re-purposed excess federal property at a time,” said an official DNR statement. “He has built a long-standing and incredible career (over 40 years) extending generosity, support, and dependability to those who deserve it most, Minnesota’s rural fire department.

Short in stature, but tall in the minds of the state’s fire service, Todd started out his Minnesota DNR career in the early 1980’s as a fire planner. In this position, Todd and his team quickly recognized that the small, rural fire departments struggled to prevent and control wildfires because they lacked basic tools and fire suppression equipment. One of Todd’s team members discovered that federal agencies and the military had collected a so called “plethora” of idle equipment ranging from trucks to even medical supplies. This equipment would greatly benefit the rural fire programs and departments. Todd was promoted to Excess Property Fire Specialist in 1982. The rest, as most of us know, is history. Todd’s hard work resulted in the Minnesota DNR’s current Rural Fire Program.

One of Todd’s greatest attributes included his ability to reach out across the state to let the rural fire programs and firefighters know about the Federal Excess Property Program. Whether it was a regional fire school or the Minnesota State Fair, Todd and the team were there spreading the word. Upon his retirement, Todd recognizes that much more work needs to be done as small towns, especially those with fewer than 10,000, need even more assistance. Todd and his incredible team built the program from the ground up. While Todd has now transitioned to retired life, he departments knowing the program he helped to build is left in the hands of his incredible Minnesota DNR Team. Thank you, Todd! Please know that what you have done to help Minnesota’s fire department is beyond words.

The Superior Fire Department provided an aerial ladder and a crew to assist the Duluth Fire Department during the recent fire at the former Seaway Hotel in the Lincoln Park area.