The Northland FireWire

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.

June 18 – Around 60 acres of forest land was consumed this afternoon by a fast moving wildland fire just to the south of the Embarrass Four Corners area. The blaze started on the west side of State Highway 135, the result of power line brought down by high winds. The fire quickly jumped across the highway and began moving to the east. Multiple aircraft including: two CL-415’s, two CL-215’s, two Fire Boss planes, and two helicopters battled the blaze from above while crews from the US Forest Service, Minnesota DNR, Embarrass Fire Department, and Pike-Sandy-Britt Fire Department worked the fire on the ground. Minnesota DNR Conservation Officers, Minnesota State Troopers, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Deputies, and St. Louis County Rescue Squad personnel closed down Highway 135 and surrounding roads in fire area. According to a spokesperson with the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center (MIFC), the intensive aerial firefighting operation prevented the fire from spreading to a structure which was being threatened at the time. By 7:15 p.m., a bulldozer had managed to put a line around 70% of the fire. State Highway 135 was re-opened around 8:00 p.m. No injuries were reported and mop-up operations are expected to continue through the weekend.

June 11 – Five Iron Range fire departments were dispatched late tonight to a fire at the former Nichols Township hall, now known as Nichols Hall, in Mountain Iron. The fire was reported around 9:20 p.m. when a passerby spotted smoke coming from the building. The Mountain Iron, Virginia, Kinney-Great Scott, Fayal, and Pike-Sandy-Britt fire departments were on the scene. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.

June 11 – One person was injured and around 30 people were displaced, the result of an apartment building fire in Nashwauk. The fire was reported around 8:00 p.m. at Deering Manor with the Nashwauk, Keewatin, Greenway, and Hibbing fire departments responding to the scene. The injured person was taken by Nashwauk Ambulance to the Hibbing hospital with possible smoke inhalation and burns. No other injuries were reported. A Nashwauk fire official told The Northland Fire Wire that the fire was in an apartment on the 5th floor of the five story building. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The Northland Chapter of the American Red Cross was called in to assist those displaced by the fire.

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June 7 -Ground and air resources have been brought into the region to take on wildland fires in the region. The fire danger over the last couple of days has ranged from High to Extreme.

May 30 – An early morning fire in Colvin Township destroyed one cabin and extensively damaged another. The fire was reported around 4:00 a.m. in the 2300 block of West Cabin Circle. Initial reports said one cabin was fully engulfed with the fire spreading to a nearby cabin. No injuries were reported, but a family dog perished in the blaze. Firefighters from Colvin, Makinen, Lakeland, Palo, and Aurora responded while the Hoyt Lakes Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

May 27 – The investigation continues into the cause of this evening’s house fire in the 300 block of 1st Street North in Virginia. The fire was reported around 7:30 p.m. Firefighters contained the fire to the kitchen and living room areas. A woman occupant was taken by Virginia ambulance to a local hospital for evaluation of possible smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported. The Virginia, Eveleth, Mountain Iron, Gilbert, and Hibbing fire departments were dispatched, with the Hibbing aerial ladder truck being cancelled. The Virginia Marshal’s Office is in charge of investigating the fire.

May 23 – An early morning fire touched off by an exploding transformer destroyed four structures on Waters Island on Burntside Lake near Ely. The fire was reported around 5:15 a.m. A Morse-Fall Lake fire department official told The Northland Fire Wire that the transformer fire spread to a nearby boathouse/summer residence and then to two other cabins and an out building. Two residents were treated near the scene for possible smoke inhalation by the Ely Ambulance Service. Firefighters from Morse-Fall Lake, Ely, Babbitt, and the US Forest Service battled the blaze. No other injuries were reported.

May 15 – A large garage and a nearby trailer home were destroyed in a late night fire in Cook. The blaze was reported around 10:55 p.m. in the 200 block of First Street Southeast. The garage was already engulfed in flames and the fire had spread to the trailer home. The occupant of the house and his dog were safely evacuated. Cook firefighters fought the blaze for several hours. No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation. The Cook Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department provided traffic control.