Northern Minnesota's Fire & Rescue Journal
July 2 – Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held today for Chisholm’s brand new public safety center. An estimated 100 local residents were in attendance. The facility replaces the over 100 year old firehall/police station and the city’s ambulance garage. The cost was around $12 million with funding coming from federal, state, and local sources. The new building will house the police department, fire department, and paramedic ambulance service.
July 1 – Multiple fire departments from across the Iron Range were dispatched this evening to a fire at a vacant apartment house in Eveleth. The fire was reported in the 500 block of Adams Avenue. The first alarm brought in crews from Eveleth, Fayal Township, Gilbert, Virginia, and Mountain Iron. Additional resources were dispatched from the Clinton Township, Lakeland, Biwabik Township, and City of Biwabik fire departments. Through a combination of interior and exterior fire attacks, firefighters were able to keep the blaze contained to the interior of the large structure. The Eveleth Ambulance Service provided medical standby while the Eveleth Police Department and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department assisted with traffic control. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
June 29 – A late night fire damaged part of the exterior of the Mlaker Funeral Home in Cook. The fire was reported around 11:50 p.m. Cook firefighters quickly knocked down the fire, which was near a rear entrance to the building. The Pike-Sandy-Britt and Kinney-Great Scott Fire departments were also dispatched, but were cancelled enroute. The Cook Ambulance Service provided medical standby at the scene. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.
June 18 – Severe thunderstorms, packing heavy rains, left a trail of devastation across northeastern Minnesota tonight. Streets, roads, and highways across a wide area ended up being flooded or even washed out. One of the hardest hit communities was the City of Cook. The nearby Littlefork River overflowed its banks and flooded the downtown area. Businesses like the VFW, Comet Theater, Montana Cafe, and Frank’s Pharmacy had extensive damage from the high waters. Public safety and public works officials shut down streets leading into the downtown area. City officials and business owners are now assessing damages and preparing information that will be used to seek state and federal disaster assistance. Governor Tim Walz and other high ranking state officials toured the city and vowed to help restore the community’s public infrastructure.
June 25 – Firefighters from Virginia, Eveleth, Mountain Iron, Hibbing, and Fayal Township were dispatched this morning to a garage fire in Virginia. The blaze was reported around 7:20 a.m. in the 100 block of 5th Street South. Arriving firefighters found the garage involved in heavy flames with the fire spreading to another nearby garage. Firefighters using an exterior attack were able to quickly knock down the fire. One garage was a total loss and the other garage had extensive damage. No injuries were reported. Second Avenue South, between 5th and 7th Street South was closed down for over two hours. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office.
June 20 – Fire destroyed a pole barn in Bearville Township this evening. Bearville, French Township, and Chisholm firefighters were paged out around 8;50 p.m. to the Watson Bay Road. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
June 16 – A cabin at YMCA Camp Northern Lights near Babbitt was destroyed by an overnight/early morning fire. The Babbitt, Morse-Fall Lake, and Ely fire departments, along with the Babbitt Ambulance Service were dispatched to the camp around 7:10 a.m. The 2,000 square foot cabin, which was vacant, was destroyed. Several nearby cabins were also unoccupied. The Babbitt and Morse-Fall Lake departments remained on the scene while the Ely Fire Department was cancelled while enroute. The Babbitt Ambulance Service provided medical standby. The cause of the blaze is unknown, but according to Babbitt Fire Chief Tony Chamberlin, the fire is not suspicious.
June 13 – Virginia, Mountain Iron, Eveleth, and Hibbing fire crews were dispatched this afternoon to a fire at the Uptown Mall, formerly the Thunderbird Mall in Virginia. The fire was reported around 3:30 in a storage area in the south end of the shopping complex. Virginia fire officials told The Northland Fire Wire that the fire was contained by the mall’s sprinkler system. The mall was safely evacuated and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Virginia Fire Marshal’s Office.
June 8- Firefighters and other emergency personnel today honored Bill Cox, a member of the Bearville Fire Department and Bearville First Responders. The event included a parade of emergency vehicles from Cohasset to Chisholm at the Viking Bar, where Cox once worked as a bartender. Cox passed away on May 11th of this year at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. He was 71 years old.
