REGIONAL — Firefighters responded to two recent garage fires in the North Country, one in Vermilion Lake Township on Monday evening and another last Thursday in Alango Township. Two structures were destroyed and a third was heavily damaged, but no injuries were reported.
The more recent blaze broke out around 5:15 p.m. Monday in the 6700 block of Highway 169 in Vermilion Lake Township. A thunderstorm was moving through the area at the time the fire was reported. Crews from the Vermilion Lake, Pike-Sandy-Britt, and Embarrass fire departments responded to the scene, where one garage was destroyed and a second sustained extensive damage. The Tower Ambulance Service was on standby at the scene, and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department assisted with traffic control.
The earlier fire occurred Thursday afternoon in the 9000 block of the Savage Road in Alango Township, south of Cook. The garage was reported fully engulfed shortly after 1 p.m. and was declared a total loss. A tractor, car, ATV, and snowmobile were also destroyed. Fire departments from Cook, Orr, and Pike-Sandy-Britt responded. While no one was injured, a family dog initially reported missing was later found alive and well.