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.
