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: Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber's bill for Great Lakes restoration funding passed the House with bipartisan support; Minnesota will no longer recognize Cesar Chavez Day; and St. Louis County seeks public input on how to use opioid settlement funds. -
Contributed/St. Louis CountySt. Louis County has received three rounds of funding from the class-action opioid settlement and is seeking program ideas that assist people in the criminal justice system. -
The Republican from Hermantown authored the American Water Stewardship Act, and it passed March 24, 2026, with bipartisan support. -
Contributed/MnDOTThe Minnesota Department of Transportation will host an open house March 31, 2026, ahead of the first year of its project on Highway 210 in Brainerd. -
Contributed/Paul Bunyan CommunicationsThree projects in Aitkin, Hubbard, Itasca and St. Louis counties are expected to provide high-speed internet options to 3,200 locations. -
And: Bemidji community urges Board to keep J.W. Smith open; and a Cuyuna rec area land dispute prompts road closure confusion, concerns.
-
Contributed/Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails via FacebookThe DNR said a closure notice because of a land dispute in the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area was an error, but it’s unclear how access could be affected moving forward. -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEBemidji Area Schools is considering consolidating its elementary schools by closing J.W. Smith, and community members are urging the Board to look at other options. -
Chelsey Perkins/KAXEThe Bridge on 7th gained the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission for its permit. On April 6, 2026, that permit will go before the Brainerd City Council. -
Ekaterina Bolovtsova via PexelsDanielle Westphal, 51, is expected to be sentenced to five years of supervised probation during an April, 20 2026, hearing.
