A page went out to the Colvill and Hovland Fire Departments at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 17 to extinguish a fire at a logging site in a remote area of Hovland.
The fire was reported by Stan Pelto of Hovland.
By the time the fire departments reached the logging site west of Tom Lake near the intersection of Camp 20 Road and Island View Road, the skidder was, as one bystander described it, “toast.”
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Grand Portage Forestry assisted.
The firefighting efforts were focused on preventing the spread of the fire into the wild lands surrounding the logging site.
The fire was considered extinguished and firefighters left the scene at 6:45 p.m. The area was checked later to make sure the fire did not re-ignite.
Also at the fire scene was John Barton of the Hovland Fire Department Safety Team Operational Patrol. Barton and fellow volunteer Kenny Bjorklund were on hand to direct traffic at the corner of Camp 20 Road and Hong Hill. They stood in the hot sun for several hours while fire trucks responded to the scene.
Barton said the only civilian traffic during that time was a mother with young children who lived up the road about a mile. They allowed her to pass but told her to be careful and watch for fire department traffic. One of their tasks had been to try to help keep official vehicles from getting jammed up and having difficulty turning around at the scene.
Barton and Bjorklund said the rather unreliable paging system in Cook County had worked this time, but the skidder operator had to jump in his truck and go down to County Road 69 (North Road) to find someone with a landline so 911 could be called.
Fortunately, Barton said, the skidder was in a grove of maple trees, which was less volatile than a grove of balsam would have been.
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