Fire Destroys Kiln-Drying Building at Timberlyne Wood Products Near Cass Lake

The kiln-drying and storage building at Timberlyne Wood Products on the south side of Cass Lake was destroyed by fire late Thursday night, drawing crews from three departments across two counties who battled the blaze through the overnight hours.

The Cass County Sheriff's Office received the initial call at approximately 10:45 p.m. on March 26. Deputies arrived to find the building engulfed. Firefighters from the Cass Lake Fire Department, Bemidji Fire Department and Walker Fire Department, along with personnel from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, worked into the early morning hours at the facility situated just east of Highway 371. No injuries were reported.

The structure and its contents are believed to be a total loss. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office is assisting with the investigation; the cause remained under review in the immediate aftermath.

The loss of the kiln-drying building carries significant operational weight for a wood products business. Kiln capacity governs moisture content in lumber before it can be sold or shipped, and losing it disrupts drying schedules, depletes finished inventory and can delay fulfillment for contractors and builders who source material from the site. Timberlyne acquired the operation from Cass Forest Products in 2022.

Though the facility sits in Cass County, the response pulled Bemidji fire resources across the county line, reflecting the mutual-aid networks that northern Minnesota departments rely on for large structure fires. The timber and forest-products sector is a foundational piece of the regional economy, and a facility loss of this scale can ripple through subcontractor relationships and the loggers who deliver raw timber to the site.

State Fire Marshal investigators will work to establish origin and cause while Timberlyne and its insurers assess the full scope of the damage.