BELTRAMI COUNTY 鈥� A wood kiln and its contents have been deemed a total loss after a fire broke out at a pole building early Tuesday morning in Port Hope Township, north of Bemidji.
According to a release from Bemidji Fire Chief Justin Sherwood, at 12:54 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10, firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire on the 9600 block of Hillcrest Drive NE, about 13 miles north of Bemidji in Port Hope Township.
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Upon arrival, firefighters found a 50-by-70-foot pole building with heavy smoke from the exterior. Firefighters accessed the structure and located several free-burning heavy timbers inside the wood kiln.
Using a 1 3/4-inch attack line, firefighters began extinguishing efforts to knock down most of the fire, the release said. Firefighters located heavy equipment on the site to remove the skid of timbers from the kiln, fully extinguishing the fire.
A total of 26 firefighters and nine pieces of equipment were on the scene for approximately 2.5 hours. The pole building suffered minor damage, while the kiln and its contents were a total loss.
The fire is currently under investigation but appears to have been accidental, the release said. No injuries have been reported.
The Bemidji Ambulance Service, Beltrami County Sherriff鈥檚 Office, and Beltrami Electric assisted the Bemidji Fire Department at the scene.
