CASS LAKE — A fire destroyed a storage facility at Timberlyne Wood Products on Thursday night, March 26, in Cass Lake.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office received the fire report about 10:45 p.m. at the sawmill east of Highway 371. Deputies found the kiln drying and storage building engulfed in flames.
Firefighters and equipment from fire departments in Cass Lake, Bemidji and Walker and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources worked through the night to fight the fire.
The building and contents are believed to be a total loss.
The sheriff’s office reported there were no known injuries associated with the fire and the investigation is ongoing, with the assistance of the Minnesota State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The business was previously known as Cass Forest Products for 33 years before it was acquired by Timberlyne in 2022.
-
Plus: Tourism-based businesses brace for slower summer amid high gas prices and consumer costs; Little Fork River watershed plan open for comment; and fireworks galore in the Northland. -
Contributed/Leech Lake Tribal College Facebook PageErin Stresow will start the position July 7, 2026. She comes from her position as senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Colorado State University Pueblo. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEThe library will have to raise its own $30,000 by Sept. 1, 2026, to receive the anonymous grant. The money will be used to increase public hours in 2027. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXEStudents in Deer River are tending to a "pizza garden" this summer, with the hopes of hosting a pizza party using ingredients from the garden in September 2026. -
And: Hubbard County and the city of Akeley disagree on non-emergency calls; and Leech Lake Community Tribal College announces a new president.
-
Lorie Shaull/KAXEA Polk County district judge ordered the parties to return to arbitration in their yearslong dispute over Essentia's management of the local hospital. -
Contributed/Northern TownshipAfter a successful petition to incorporate as a brand new city, Northern Township announced candidate filing for its first-ever City Council and mayoral elections. -
He said the process in recent years has become so fraught with partisan approaches that smaller, independent operations like his are left fighting for scraps. -
Megan Buffington/KAXENorthern Minnesota has numerous ways to celebrate the Fourth of July 2026 with fireworks shows, local parades and festivals and more. Hang out with your neighbors or discover a new community. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXECouncilor proposing RFPs said Virginia needed to explore all options to address its budget. A standing-room crowd supported the departments’ current makeup.
