March 18 – Multiple agencies including EMS, fire, and law enforcement responded this morning to a report of a fire at the Dyno Nobel explosives plant located just south of Biwabik. The fire was reported around 10:45 with St. Louis County Communications announcing that the fire was in a wall in a storage building. St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department officials implemented a one mile evacuation zone around the plant as a precautionary measure. The fire was contained contained to a wood frame around an exhaust fan. No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation. Fire departments responding to the incident included: Biwabik Township, Biwabik, Lakeland, and Fayal. Law enforcement agencies on the scene were: Gilbert Police Department, East Range Police Department, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, and the Minnesota DNR. Officials from St. Louis County’s Emergency Management Division provided on site assistance and the Biwabik Ambulance Service provided medical standby.

March 20 – Chisholm and Hibbing fire crews battled a chimney fire in 400 block of 7th Street Northwest. The fire was called in around 7:30 a.m. and was contained to the chimney. No injuries were reported. The Chisholm Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene.

March 3 – Pike-Sandy-Britt firefighters were dispatched to a vehicle fire on U.S. Highway 53, about 15 miles north of Virginia. The fire was.reported shortly before 4:00 p.m. The SUV was a total loss. No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation.

February 21 – The Vermilion Lake and Pike-Sandy-Britt fire departments, along with the Tower Ambulance Service, were dispatched this afternoon to a report of a fuel oil truck rollover on State Highway 169 in Pike Township, southwest of Tower. The incident was reported shortly before 3:20. Fire officials said the truck driver tried to avoid a UTV which had come off a trailer. The fuel truck went into the ditch and rolled on its side. The driver received minor injuries. Little, if any fuel oil was spilled. Fire crews cleared the scene around 7:00 p.m.

February 18 – Over half a dozen fire departments battled a large garage fire this afternoon in the Central Lakes area, south of Eveleth. The blaze was reported around 5:15 in the 7400 block of the Wilson Road. The garage was engulfed in flames when the first crews arrived. One person was transported to the Virginia hospital by the Eveleth Ambulance for smoke inhalation. Fire departments responding to the fire included: Central Lakes, Colvin, Makinen, Lakeland, Fayal, Eveleth, Clinton, Ellsburg, and Palo. St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department officials said the blaze started accidentally when gasoline ignited as the building’s wood stove was being lit.

January 10 – Virginia, Eveleth, Hibbing, and Mountain Iron firefighters battled a house fire this evening in Virginia. The fire, called in around 7:50 a.m., in the 1200 block of 11th Street South, was originally reported as a grease fire. Arriving firefighters discovered that the blaze had spread into the kitchen cabinets and attic. While the fire was quickly knocked down, crews remained on the scene check for fire extension. All of the occupants were able to safely evacuate the house. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.