The Maple Hill and Grand Marais fire departments responded to a fire at Hedstrom Lumber on Sunday, May 8. The fire destroyed the former planing mill building, but the fire departments were able to stop the blaze from spreading to the adjacent building.
At 6:56 a.m. on Sunday, May 8, emergency pages sounded for the Maple Hill and Grand Marais Volunteer Fire Departments to respond to a fire at Hedstrom Lumber.
Kelly Hansen, an independent contractor who does some maintenance at the mill on weekends, spotted the smoke and called 9-1-1.
Firefighters arrived on the scene by 7:15 a.m. to find fire burning inside a large corrugated steel structure on the north side of the planing mill building. Working in tandem, the Maple Hill and Grand Marais fire departments set up on opposite sides of the structure to hit it with water. Tanker trucks traveled back and forth to the nearby hydrant at Devil Track River, returning to fill drop tanks that were then used to feed the firefighters’ hoses.
It seemed apparent that the approximately 3,500-square-foot building could not be saved. As the building abutted the newer planing mill, efforts were focused on keeping the fire from spreading to that building.
There was smoke in the new planing mill section and Cody Johnson, a Hedstrom Lumber employee, walked through to ensure that there was no fire. He found a belt that ran from the old planing mill to the new mill that had just started to catch fire. He was able to douse that small fire with a shop water hose.
As the Maple Hill and Grand Marais fire departments got the fire at Hedstrom Lumber under control on May 8, lumber mill equipment operator Mike Kimball assisted by knocking down the crumbling metal walls.
Also a safety concern was the large pipe overhead that was once used to blow sawdust to an area where it was bagged. Firefighters had to ensure they were not under those as the building started to fall. As the metal walls weakened, the big pipe did come crashing down, still partially attached.
Hedstrom Lumber staffers Roger Schoepflin and Mike Kimball stood by with heavy equipment to assist as needed. As the fire died down, Kimball used a piece of equipment with an attachment like a battering ram (used at the mill to break open clogged sawdust silos) to push the walls down and to knock the big pipe to the ground.
The Maple Hill STOP team also responded to provide traffic control for emergency vehicles. The STOP team was released from the scene at 8:58 a.m. Grand Marais Fire was released at 10:10 a.m. Cook County Ambulance was on standby at the scene, ready to assist firefighters and making sure they were hydrated. The ambulance was released from the scene at 10:56 a.m.
Maple Hill Fire Department remained on scene mopping up hot spots and monitoring the smoldering remains to make sure the fire did not re-ignite and spread. Maple Hill cleared the scene at 12:25 p.m.
Because of the extensive damage, the cause of the fire may never be known. The News-Herald reached Chris Hegg of Hedstrom Lumber on May 11 who said the fire was likely caused by a spark from the mill’s heating system. Hegg explained that the mill burns bark and sawdust to heat the mill and with even the best systems, there can be errant sparks.
“We dodged a bullet though,” said Hegg, noting that the building that burned had not been used for 10 years and nothing of significant value was stored inside.
“The scary part was that it was two feet from the new planing mill. We were very fortunate that Kelly Hansen came in to work and spotted the smoke and that Cody Johnson was astute enough to find the start of the fire in the other building and get it out.
“The fire departments were ‘Johnny-on-the-spot’ and did a wonderful job getting a lot of water on it. Thanks to the Maple Hill and Grand Marais fire departments. Everybody did a great job,” said Hegg.
Cleanup of the burned and mangled steel will take some time, said Hegg. David Smith Trucking will haul off any reusable metal and Hegg said the mill would use its own manpower for cleanup.
Hegg added, “And, we will redouble our spark control efforts.”
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