There were two emergency calls for vehicle fires last week, one that turned out to be a false alarm and one that required a response from the Grand Portage Fire Department.
The first call reported a car on fire on South Shore Drive in Grand Marais. The Maple Hill Fire Department, Grand Marais First Responders and Cook County Ambulance were paged to respond at 8:29 a.m. on Thursday, September 10, however when a sheriff deputy arrived on scene it was discovered that there was not a fire. The police report stated that there was a problem with a new vehicle, a 2016 Ford Explorer belonging to a Missoula, Montana man.
There were no injuries and the vehicle did not suffer any damage. All responders were clear by 9:56 a.m.
The second vehicle fire occurred at 8:28 p.m. on Saturday, September 12 in Grand Portage, just east of the entrance to the Grand Portage American Legion. A 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix registered to Christopher Diefenderfer, from Nicollet, Minnesota, had started smoking.
Joseph Deschampe, a member of the Grand Portage Fire Department, reported the vehicle fire. He was nearby with another firefighter who rushed to the Grand Portage Fire Hall for a fire extinguisher.
Deputy Jason Hughes arrived on the scene and directed traffic as the Grand Portage Fire Department arrived at 8:39 p.m. with an engine to douse the vehicle’s engine.
The Grand Portage Ambulance also responded.
The fire was out by 8:45 p.m. and the fire department stood by waiting to make sure it cooled down. All responders were clear by 9:05 p.m.
The cause of the fire is not known.
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