July 16 – An early afternoon fire destroyed the main lodge at Camp Sigel near Biwabik. The blaze was reported around 12:45 p.m. Arriving firefighters found the building engulfed in flames with the fire spreading into the nearby forest. The Minnesota DNR brought in a helicopter and a wildland firefighting crew from New Jersey to contain the wildland fire while structural firefighters from multiple Iron Range fire departments worked to extinguish the remains of the lodge building. A nearby cabin had damage to its siding. No injuries were reported as crews fought the blaze in the extreme heat. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Fire departments on the scene included: Biwabik Township, Biwabik, Lakeland, Fayal, Aurora, and Palo. The Biwabik Ambulance Service provided medical standby and firefighter rehab.

July 15 – A dozen fire departments from across the Iron Range of northeastern Minnesota battled a roof fire this afternoon and early evening at the United Taconite Fairlane Plant in Forbes. The fire was reported shortly before 3:30 p.m. Virginia Fire Chief Allen Lewis said the fire burned about 1,000 square feet of the rubber lined roof on top of the pelletizer building. No serious injuries were reported, although several firefighters were treated on the scene for possible heat exhaustion and an eye injury. Production at the taconite operation was not impacted. Fire departments responding to the fire included: Virginia, McDavitt, Eveleth, Cherry, Clinton, Fayal Township, Gilbert, Biwabik, Biwabik Township, Central Lakes, Hibbing, and Ellsburg. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

July 12 – Members of the Cook Fire Department trained this evening at the Homestead Apartments in Cook. The training including aerial ladder and engine company operations. The training session was conducted in cooperation with the Minnesota Public Safety Group.

July 11 – An early morning fire at the Life of Riley Resort north of Cook on Lake Vermilion destroyed four buildings. The fire was reported around 1:30 a.m. Firefighters from Cook, Buyck, and the Lake Vermilion Fire Brigade responded to the blaze. Initial reports said a gazebo near the lake was on fire, but when crews arrived, the resort’s store, game room, and bait house were in flames and total losses. No injuries were reported. The Tower Area Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

July 9 – Multiple Iron Range fire departments were dispatched this morning to a report of building fire in downtown Virginia. The call came in around 10:55 p.m. in the 300 block of Chestnut Street. A building located between Rocks The Jewels and Pep’s Bake Shop had heavy smoke coming from the second floor of the two story building. Virginia firefighters arrived quickly on the scene and began an interior attack, but withdrew because of safety concerns. The fire quickly burned through the roof while crews engaged in an extensive defensive attack. Aerial apparatus from Virginia and Hibbing were positioned near the front of the building while another aerial rig from Gilbert was set up in the back. While firefighters prevented the fire from spreading into the adjacent buildings, the businesses in those buildings (Pep’s Bake Shop, Rocks The Jewelers, Virginia Floral Company, and Jue’s Chinese Restaurant and Lounge) had smoke and water damage. No injuries were reported, but a family cat perished in the blaze. Departments dispatched to the fire included: Virginia, Mountain Iron, Eveleth, Fayal Township, Gilbert, Hibbing, Biwabik, Biwabik Township, Pike-Sandy-Britt, McDavitt, Clinton, and Makinen. The Chisholm Fire Department was on standby at the Virginia firehall, while the Eveleth and Biwabik ambulance services handled emergency medical calls in the area. The St. Louis County Rescue Squad provided rehab services at the scene. Three people were displaced by the fire and were being assisted by the Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.

This course is scheduled from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

July 4 – Three Iron Range fire departments were dispatched late this evening to a woodpile fire in Gilbert. The fire was reported around 11:30 p.m. in the 200 block of Nevada Avenue West. Gilbert firefighters knocked down the fire, but requested additional personnel and resources from the nearby Eveleth and Fayal Township fire departments. A nearby house sustained some damage to its siding and about two cords of wood were lost. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was linked to firework use. Submitted photo.

July 3 – A semi tractor truck fire and gasoline tanker spill this afternoon resulted in the closing of Minnesota Highway 169, about two miles west of Ely. The incident was reported around 2:15 p.m. when the brakes of the semi truck caught fire. The driver of truck was able to uncouple the tanker from the burning vehicle, however the tanker hit the ground, rupturing a 3,400 gallon pocket containing gasoline. Morse-Fall Lake Fire Chief Ted Krueger told The Northland Fire Wire that approximately 350 gallons were spilled and that local road construction equipment was used to help contain the spill. The remaining gasoline was transferred to another tanker truck. The highway was closed down for over six hours. No injuries were reported, but the semi truck was extensively damaged. The Morse-Fall Lake and Ely fire departments were on the scene. The semi tractor truck and trailer were heading to Ely when the incident occurred. Photos provided by Morse-Fall Lake Fire Chief Ted Krueger.

June 29 – The Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of this evening’s house fire in the Palo area. The fire was reported around 8:10 p.m. in the 4900 block of the Townline Road. The house was pretty much engulfed in flames when the first Palo firefighters arrived. It appeared the house was vacant at the time. Fire departments on the scene included: Palo, Lakeland, and Colvin Township. No injuries were reported.

June 25 – A power outage caused by a feeder line problem, immediately followed by numerous fire calls, kept Virginia area firefighters extremely busy this morning. The action began around 11:30 when the outage occurred and a fire was reported in the roof air conditioning unit at the Super One-North grocery store on 6th Avenue North in Virginia. A fire was then reported at the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency’s Youth Foyer building on 12th Street South in Virginia, followed by a report of smoke in the Northern State Bank in Downtown Virginia. Firefighters also checked on smoke conditions in the bank’s processing center on Chestnut Street in the downtown area. All of the fire calls were minor in nature with all fire departments returning to service within an hour. No injuries were reported. According to Virginia Fire Chief Allen Lewis, a Minnesota Power feeder line had two phases burn out, causing the line voltage to go from 22,000 to 8,000 volts and from three phase to one phase current. This change resulted in overheated motors and HVAC units. The cause of feeder line problem remains under investigation. The Virginia, Mountain Iron, Eveleth, Gilbert, Fayal Township, Pike-Sandy-Britt, and Hibbing fire departments responded to the calls. “We got slammed,” said Chief Lewis. “The other fire departments really helped us out a lot. It was a great team effort on everyone’s part.”

A Virginia firefighter on the roof of the Super One-North grocery store.

Virginia’s Ladder 1 is positioned on the back side of the Super One-North grocery store in Virginia as firefighters check out the building’s roof HVAC system.

Firefighters exit the Northern State Bank in Virginia after checking out smoke conditions in the building.