A fire on a small island on Saganaga Lake was extinguished by resort owners and anglers on Saturday, September 24. Laura and Larry Marxen of Chippewa Inn arrived by boat with a pump and hose and thoroughly soaked the ground.
On Saturday, September 24, a group of anglers spotted a fire on a small island on Saganaga Lake in Red Sucker Bay. The quick thinking of the anglers and the response from the resort owners in this remote area prevented the fire from spreading to the mainland.
According to Marco Manzo III of Sagonto Resort, the fire was discovered by John Eckstrom and Dan Eckstrom of Columbia, South Carolina and Daron Smith of Murray, Nebraska, as they set out for a day of fishing.
Manzo learned of the fire when John Ekstrom hurried back to Sagonto to raise the alarm. Manzo’s family radioed for anyone on the lake to come help squelch the fire.
By the time Manzo and his father, Marc Manzo, arrived at the island, the flames were three feet high and approaching a large birch tree. “From there it could have spread very rapidly to the mainland,” said Manzo.
John Eckstrom shared the following tale with Manzo, noting that they saw smoke first, then approached the island. He said, “Then we saw the flames licking up and knowing how critical it is, I dropped him [Smith] off and gave him the dip bucket that was in the boat and said, ‘Go here, try to stop it, and I’m heading back for help.’”
The bucket brigade that discovered and extinguished the fire. (L-R) Marco Manzo III of Sagonto Resort, John Ekstrom of Columbia, South Carolina, Marc Manzo of Sagonto, Daron Smith of Murray, Nebraska.
Daron Smith continued, “When you dropped me off, the flames at the base of the birch were about three feet off the ground. It was burning the mulch around the base. A few buckets put that flame out, but that mulch was burning 8 to 10 inches deep at six feet wide around the tree—that is what I kept dousing.”
Joining the effort were Larry and Laura Marxen of Chippewa Inn who arrived with a pump and hose, and they thoroughly soaked the ground.
Marco Manzo said it is a mystery on how the fire started. “It is not a convenient spot to get out of a boat or canoe with all the boulders on the shore, and not a likely spot for a campfire. There was no evidence of a lightning strike, either,” he said.
Manzo expressed appreciation to the fishermen. “Thank you John and Daron for sacrificing some of your fishing time on Saturday to serve as the International Fire Fighting Bucket Brigade! What a daring and courageous act, Daron, to stay on the island alone without a boat to make sure the fire would not spread. Great work guys.”
He added, “This is the third fire on the lake that I have been on this season. That’s three too many!”
Leave a Reply