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Duluth-area fire departments fight blaze at auto body shop (with video)

Crews from more than a half-dozen fire departments battled a fire Monday at a rural Duluth residence. The fire at 3623 Martin Road, about a half-mile west of Jean Duluth Road in Rice Lake Township, was reported by the owners of the property a lit...

Martin Road fire
Heavy smoke erupts from a structure fire at 3623 Martin Road in Rice Lake Township on Monday afternoon, Dec. 3, 2012. (Andrew Krueger / akrueger@duluthnews.com)

Crews from more than a half-dozen fire departments battled a fire Monday at a rural Duluth residence.

The fire at 3623 Martin Road, about a half-mile west of Jean Duluth Road in Rice Lake Township, was reported by the owners of the property a little before 4 p.m. At 4:30 p.m., heavy smoke and flames could be seen coming from the roof of a barn that neighbors said had been converted to a residence. The fire began inside the business once called Martin Road Auto Body. Its roof had collapsed.

Buddy Foster from the Rice Lake Fire Department said the fire likely started in the auto body shop and spread to the barn, where the "major work" of the firefighting went on into the night. He expected crews to be on the scene past midnight battling hot spots and cleaning up.

Firefighters doused flames that periodically poked through the roof and under the eaves of the barn. Crews were cutting holes in parts of the roof and flames were visible inside the building. The bulk of the barn structure was still standing as of 6:45 p.m. as crews continued to work at the scene.

A portion of Martin Road was closed for a time. Because there are no hydrants on that stretch of the road, pumper trucks shuttled between the fire and the Rice Lake fire hall to bring water to the six engines pulling water from pools.

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"Water was our biggest issue," Foster said. "But it went smoothly."

There were no reported injuries.

Another living area connected to the barn suffered some smoke and water damage.

Departments on the scene included Rice Lake, Lakewood, Canosia, Normanna, Gnesen and Grand Lake townships, the Duluth Air National Guard and Hermantown. The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office and Gold Cross Ambulance were on standby.

Foster said that because of the new "instant mutual aid" system in place for the Lakehead Mutual Aid Association, more firefighters are called in from departments close to the fire. It means crews can fight a fire harder and get it out faster, he said.

Martin Road fire
Firefighters battle a blaze at an auto body shop and attached home at 3623 Martin Road in Rice Lake Township on Monday evening, Dec. 3, 2012. (Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com)

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