CAFD stations 1&2 responded to a Large cube van, and a tracked backhoe on fire Tue, Dec. 15th.  Both vehicles were well involved with fire, and suffered large amounts of damage before Engines 22, and 2 along with Battalion 2 arrived on scene.  The fire is currently under investigation.

CAFD crews responded on a mutual-aid request from Esko VFD for assistance at a structure fire on 11/7/2009. Once on-scene crews found a fire located in a basement of the structure and quickly extinguished the blaze.  Crews were on-scene about an hour and then returned to service. 

CAFD Battalion 1, Engine 2, Tanker 22, and Division Chief - Training & Safety assisted the Carlton Fire Department at the scene of a mid-morning structure fire at 1401 Central Hall Road on Wednesday November 4th.  CAFD units were on scene for approx. 3 hours and provided suppression and water supply assistance during the incident.

Photo:  CAFD Firefighters Mike Garberg (Left) and Cody DeBondt prepare to enter the structure to knock down the fire.

Photo Courtesy of Lisa Baumann - Cloquet Pine Journal. Please visit the Pine Journal website for additional information.

On Monday afternoon, October 19,2009, CAFD medic and Rescue units responded to a two vehicle MVA at the intersection of Highway 33 and Cloquet Avenue.  The impact caued severe damage to the passenger car and the severely injured driver required extrication from the wreckage by rescue crews. 

The driver was transported to Cloquet Hospital by District Paramedics.  The driver of the semi truck was not injured.

Photo courtesy of the Cloquet Pine Journal

For the second time in less than a week the CAFD responded to a working fire in a multi unit apartment building.  At 13:20 October 18, 2009, units from CAFD Stations 1 and 2 responded to a report of heavy smoke in the building at 1580 Big Lake Road.  Upon arrival units found a 16 unit apartment building heavily charged with smoke and fire fully involving one apartment. 

Occupants were evacuated and aggressive suppression efforts by district firefighters contained the fire to the apartment of origin, with limited spread into the attic space of the building.  One occupant required medical attention and was transported by CAFD Paramedics to Cloquet Hospital. 

The apartment was a total loss and damage to the building is estimated at $400,000.00.  The fire is currently under investigation by the CAFD, State Fire Marshall's Office, Cloquet Police and Fond-du-Lac Police.  All 16 apartments were occupied at the time of the fire and residents are being housed temporarily at the Black Bear Casino.

Tuesday night, October 13, 2009, the CAFD received a call for a fire in apartment 201 of the Maplewood Apartments at 1318 18th Street.  Units from CAFD Stations 1 and 2 responded and upon arrival found a two story wood frame building with heavy fire in one apartment and fire venting from the roof. 

The two-story apartment building housed 12 apartments with 10 of them occupied at the time of the fire.  Law enforcement officers began evacuations of the occupants and after primary search operations by CAFD units all occupants were safely out of the building.  An additional alarm was requested bringing all available resources from both CAFD stations. 

Aggressive suppression operations were intiated as well as an elevated master stream to control the fire racing through the roof structure.  The lightweight truss construction of the building contributed to the rapid collapse of the roof into the second floor apartments.  Fire suppression efforts limited the fire damage to the apartment of origin and the roof structure, but structural damage caused by the roof collapsing into the second floor resulted in major damage to the structure.

CAFD units remained on scene for 6 hours.  One person was slightly injured during the fire and was removed from the structure and transported to Cloquet Hospital, by District Paramedics, where the person was treated and released.  During the height of the fire units from the Carlton Fire Department took up stand-by positions in CAFD Station 1 in order to answer any additional incidents. 

The fire left over 20 people displaced from their homes and the Northland Chapter of the Red Cross was providing emergency housing.  The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the State Fire Marshall's Office, with an estimated fire loss of $1 Million dollars.