The Maple Hill and Grand Marais Fire Departments responded to a fire at Hedstrom Lumber Company on Friday, June 8 The fire was in one of the silos that hold wood byproducts to be burned in the lumber mill’s boiler. Firefighters climbed up the utility ladder on the side of the silo and also used the Grand Marais Fire Department’s ladder truck. Maple Hill firefighter Betsy Zavoral makes the climb up the 50-foot ladder to hand a saw to Grand Marais firefighter Aaron Mielke.
At about 3 p.m. on Friday, June 8, 2012, Matt Anderson of Hedstrom Lumber Company spotted flames coming from the top of one of three silos that hold woodchips for the lumber mill’s boiler. He and his co-worker Cameron Kimball climbed the utility ladders to the top of the 40-foot high silo, with Kimball hauling a garden hose. Before they started up the silo, they called for the fire department. “I knew the garden hose wasn’t going to do it,” said Anderson.
The Maple Hill Fire Department, Grand Marais Fire Department, Grand Marais First Responders and Cook County Ambulance were paged. While waiting for the fire departments to arrive, Hedstrom Lumber staffers Mike Kimball, Greg Olson, and Rob Revier worked to establish a water source. The lumber mill keeps a semi tanker truck, full of water, at the mill to periodically spray the lumber yard to keep dust down. It is also on standby as a water source for just such an event. A hose pump was hooked up to the tanker and another to the well at the site.
Firefighters Kyle Oberg and Aaron Mielke climbed to the top of the 40-foot silo at Hedstrom Lumber Company to douse the fire inside. The flames were extinguished quickly, but the wood byproducts inside continued to smolder for a couple of hours. Hedstrom Lumber Company Vice-president Jack Hedstrom said the silo was not damaged by the fire or water used to extinguish it.
Grand Marais firefighters Kyle Oberg and Aaron Mielke were among the first on the scene and they climbed the utility ladders to hoist a fire hose to the roof of the silo and doused the fire. To get more water onto the smoldering wood chips, it was decided that a hole should be cut in the metal roof. The Grand Marais Fire Department ladder truck was backed into place and carefully raised by firefighter Matt Bronikowski. Maple Hill firefighter Betsy Zavoral went up the ladder with the necessary equipment and water for Oberg, Mielke and the Hedstrom staffers at the top of the smoking silo.
The flames were knocked down fairly quickly, but the densely packed wood chips continued to burn, so firefighters again used the utility ladder, opening the small doors on the side of the silo and hosing from that angle. Firefighters continued to apply water for several hours. By 5 p.m., the incident was in “mop up” mode and firefighters, trucks, and ambulance members began to leave the scene. At 5:38 p.m., the last engine left the scene.
Above: Firefighting is hard work—Maple Hill firefighters Doug Klein (left) and Greg Olson carry a pump to the creek that provides water for fire hoses.
The fire departments were called back briefly the next day when the fire flared up, however, lumber mill staff said they had everything under control.
As he watched the fire departments at work, Hedstrom Lumber Company Vice-president Jack Hedstrom explained that the three silos contain wood byproduct from the sawmill, with dry wood in two silos and freshly cut “green” wood in the other. The wood chips are combined to create the correct mixture for burning in the mill’s boiler, which heats the buildings and keeps the wood-drying kiln operating. When the fire started the dry kiln was shut down.
The fire was in one of the silos containing “dry” wood byproducts. The wood that was partially burned and wet by fire hoses will still be burned in the boiler by mixing the soggy wood chips with material from the other silos.
Left: Firefighters used hoses on top and on several areas on the side of the silo to try to extinguish the stubborn burning material inside the silo. Grand Marais firefighter Gideon Silence manned the hose between two of the silos.
It is believed the fire was caused by stray sparks from the boiler smoke stack.
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