Three Townhomes Destroyed in Caribou Highlands Lodge Fire Near Lutsen

A building housing three townhome units at Caribou Highlands Lodge went up in flames Monday afternoon, March 16, leaving the structure a total loss and drawing mutual aid from five fire departments across Cook County.

Cook County Dispatch received the first report of smoke coming from the back of one of the units at approximately 1:53 p.m. Within four minutes, at 1:57 p.m., flames were visible from outside the building. The structure, part of the resort property sitting just below the Lutsen Mountains ski area, became completely engulfed. Responding crews ultimately declared it a total loss.

Lutsen Fire Chief Steven Duclos described a rapid escalation that required pulling in departments from across the region. "We set up and started suppression efforts and called in mutual aid to support that effort," Duclos said. "We had, I believe, five departments, Lutsen, Tofte, Schroeder, Grand Marais, Maple Hill, we'd called for Silver Bay, but subsequently, we turned them around, we'd got the fire contained to the building of origin."

The official responding units, per Cook County's news release, included Lutsen FD, Lutsen First Responders, Tofte FD, Schroder FD, Grand Marais FD, Cook County Ambulance, and the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Crews faced at least one significant operational challenge: a limited water supply, according to Fox21. Full extinguishment took several hours, and firefighters returned to the scene early Tuesday, March 17, to knock down remaining hot spots.

Two neighboring buildings were evacuated as a precaution but sustained no damage. No injuries were reported.

KQDS reported that a chimney fire escalated into the structure fire, though that cause has not been confirmed by Cook County officials or the State Fire Marshal's Office, which has been notified and is investigating. The cause officially remains under investigation.

Caribou Highlands Lodge is owned by Odyssey Resorts, which posted on Facebook that the extent of the damage was being evaluated. Cascade Vacations Rentals also alerted guests on social media, noting that while the fire was "not impacting the Ski Hill Road or the mountain, the emergency traffic and smoke are making the area unsafe," and asked people to avoid the area during suppression efforts.

The State Fire Marshal's investigation is ongoing. Anyone seeking information can contact Cook County Public Information Coordinator Danielle Hefferan at 218-387-3508 or Chief Deputy Ben Hallberg at 218-387-3030.