The Northland FireWire

November 4 – Ten northeastern Minnesota fire departments were dispatched this morning to a fire at Lamppa Manufacturing in Tower. The fire was reported around 8:30 a.m. with initial reports that the fire was in a wall near a welding booth. Crews from Tower, Breitung Township, Greenwood Township, Vermilion Lake, Eagles Nest, Embarrass, Pike-Sandy-Britt, Babbitt, Ely, and Virginia were all dispatched. The Ely and Virginia departments responded with their aerial ladder trucks after a report that the fire may have spread into the attic area of the large manufacturing building. The fire was contained to an inside wall and an outside wall. The entire building was filled with smoke. No injuries were reported. The Tower Ambulance Service provided medical standby and firefighter rehabilitation at the scene. The Breitung Police Department assisted in traffic control by shutting down a portion of State Highway 135.

October 24 – Two men are dead, the result of a two pick-up truck crash this morning in the Britt area. The incident was around 8:50 a.m. In the 9100 block of the Biss Road. The lone drivers (ages 69 and 76) were pronounced dead at the scene. EMS and fire personnel from Pike-Sandy-Britt and Virginia were on the scene. A Life Link medical helicopter was also dispatched while a member of the Gilbert Fire Department assisted with traffic control. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota State Patrol continue to investigate the crash. The names of the victims have not been released pending the notification of relatives.

October 21 – Around a dozen storage units were destroyed and extensively damaged by an early morning fire in Hibbing. Crews from Hibbing, Keewatin, Chisholm, and Virginia were dispatched to the 800 block of 41st Street East around 1:10 a.m. The blaze was so intense that it melted the siding of the nearby Timberline Lodge. No injuries were reported and the Hibbing Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

October 17 – Chisholm, Hibbing, and French Township firefighters battled a garage fire tonight in Chisholm. The blaze was reported around 9:00 p.m. in the 600 block of 13th Street Northwest. The garage was engulfed in flames with the fire spreading to the nearby home. The garage was a total loss with the house extensively damaged, and likely a total loss as well. No injuries were reported. The Chisholm Ambulance Service provided medical standby and firefighter rehabilitation at the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

October 14 – A late morning fire destroyed a sauna/boathouse in Greenwood Township. The blaze was reported around 10:00 a.m. in the 3100 block of Nisen Drive. The structure was engulfed in flames when crews arrived, with the fire threatening two nearby cabins. No injuries were reported. Departments on the scene included: Greenwood, Tower, Breitung Township, Cook, Vermilion Lake, Embarrass. Eagles Neat, and Ely. The Tower Ambulance Service was on the scene to provide medical standby.

Fire departments across the region spent the week visiting area schools and talking to students about fire prevention and fire safety.

October 11 – A rural Eveleth man is dead, the result of a late morning house fire in the Central Lakes area. 63 year old Dale Wallander was severely burned during a fire at his residence, located in the 7100 block of the Antoinette Road. Emergency medical personnel from Eveleth and Virginia provided life saving measures. Wallander was then flown from the fire scene by the LifeLink 6 medical helicopter to a Twin Cities hospital for more specialized care. Firefighters from Central Lakes, Makinen, Colvin Township, Fayal Township, Ellsburg, Lakeland, and Palo battled the house fire. The house was a total loss. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office, continues to investigate the cause of the fire. The Sheriff’s Department, Eveleth Police Department and Minnesota State Patrol assisted at the scene by securing a landing zone for the medical helicopter.

September 30 – Cook firefighters were dispatched early this morning to a house fire in Cook. The blaze was reported around 3:40 a.m. in the 200 block of 1st Avenue N.W. The house was engulfed in flames when the first firefighters arrived. According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, the house was vacant at the time and is a total loss. The Pike-Sandy-Britt and Kinney-Great Scott fire departments were also dispatched, but cancelled while enroute. The Cook Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.

Construction work is well underway at the new Virginia Public Safety Building. The building, located along Second Avenue South, will house the Virginia Fire Department and Ambulance Service, along with the Virginia Police Department. The cost of the project is put around $33 million.