Makinen Volunteer Fire Department

09/02/2026

Mark your calendars, we're only two weeks out from our annual open house event. We hope to see you there!

*this event is free to the public*

🔥🚒🧯🚁🚑

08/17/2026

This is one of our member's photo. The link will be in the comments. If you could follow the link and vote, that would be greatly appreciated!

Update: we made it to the Semi Finals!! Today (8/16) and possibly tomorrow are double vote! Every click of the vote button helps tremendously! Thank you all 🩷

Update: we made it to the quarterfinals! Today (8/12) is a double vote day (each vote counts as 2 instead of 1). Thank you all for your support 🫶

Good morning ☀️

I have entered one of my photos into an "America's favorite photo" competition. So far we made it past the first round and are currently into round 2. If you'd like to support me and help me advance, I'll attach the link in the comments. I'm not asking for anyone to spend money, you can vote for free once a day!

Thanks 🫶

08/16/2026

Today, 9 of our members, along with 2 Hibbing Fire Department and 2 Hibbing DNR members, successfully completed their National Wildland Coordinating Group S130, S190 & L180 certifications! We would like to thank Ryan and Ronnie with MN North Customized Training Solutions for sharing their knowledge and making this class that much better!

08/14/2026

Last night our members trained on pumping and drafting operations. Our newer members also had the chance to familiarize themselves with the floating pump and ground monitor. It was a great night of training!

08/11/2026

The Eastern Area Complex Incident Management Team, under the command of the Superior National Forest and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are aware that a medical emergency occurred on the July Lightning fires involving an individual assigned to the incident at approximately 10:40 am today, Tuesday, August 11, 2026, in the vicinity of Ely, MN.

Fire personnel and emergency medical services responded. The patient was transported to a medical facility for treatment. After arriving at the hospital, the patient subsequently passed away. When additional information is available and confirmed, an update will be provided.

Our deepest condolences go out to the family and fellow firefighting community.

08/05/2026

An early morning fire has destroyed a home located on the Whiteface Reservoir. The blaze was reported around 2:45 in the 2200 block of the Harris Bay Road. According to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department, two occupants including two dogs were able to evacuate the house before it became engulfed in flames. One of the residents was evaluated by medical personnel. A thunderstorm had moved through the area earlier and neighbors reported hearing a very large boom before the fire. A lightning strike is being considered as a possible contributing factor. Departments responding to the fire included: Makinen, Colvin, Lakeland, Palo, Aurora, Gnesen, Ellsburg, and Hoyt Lakes. The Hoyt Lakes Ambulance provided medical standby at the scene. The house is considered a total loss. Photo: St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department

08/05/2026

We would like to thank Palo Fire Department for the invite to attend the National Night Out event at the Loon Lake Community Center tonight. It's nice to see all the different agencies come together and provide a good event for the community. It was a great turn out!

07/20/2026

Supporting the community does support the firefighting effort.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out
this week offering to donate items in support of our wildland firefighters. We make an effort to pass on your messages of encouragement to the crews.

We often redirect acts of generosity to support local American Red Cross chapters, local food pantries or other community support organizations. These are the groups providing direct assistance to those who have been displaced.

Want to support the firefighters? The Wildland Firefighter Foundation is an incredibly valuable organization for our wildland firefighters. The Foundation steps up to support wildland firefighters who suffer injuries while responding to wildland fires and to families of fallen firefighters through donations. You can learn more at https://wffoundation.org

With so many firefighters and fire personnel in the area, it’s always nice to see those thank you banners in town. You can also drop off a little postcard for them at the Forest Service office to brighten their day.

07/13/2026

THIS ALERT HAS BEEN UPDATED. See most recent post for details.
An air quality alert has been issued due to wildfire smoke for Tuesday, July 14, through Thursday, July 16, for northeast Minnesota. Air quality is expected to reach the purple AQI category, which is unhealthy for everyone. You can find more information about this alert here: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/news-and-stories/air-quality-alert-issued-due-to-wildfire-smoke-for-tuesday-july-14-through-thursday-july-16-for

07/06/2026

Congratulations to our winner of the Makinen fire supporter t-shirt and stickers! Please message our page at your earliest convenience!