St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Provides Update After Large Evacuation Order

Authorities with the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office provided an update Tuesday afternoon following an extensive evacuation order earlier in the day.

The evacuation order was issued for an area within a one-mile radius of a manufacturing plant in Biwabik Township in Northern Minnesota on Tuesday.

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The evacuation order has since been canceled, but officials are now offering an update on what happened to cause the evacuation order.

What caused the evacuation order in Biwabik?

In a statement from the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, they explain that there was a report of a fire at the Dyno Nobel facility, which is just south of Biwabik on Vermilion Trail.

Dyno Nobel is a company that specializes in making commercial explosives and blasting products used in the mining industry. The company operates a number of facilities worldwide, including one in Minnesota - near Biwabik.

As our news partners at WDIO explain, an employee noticed smoke and flames in a boiler room at their facility. The on-site teams followed protocol in responding to the situation, which included notifying local emergency services.

As the Sherriff's Office explained, the evacuation within a one-mile radius of the facility was a precautionary measure in following with safety procedures. The on-site team and local fire departments responding to the scene were able to quickly extinguish the fire.

What else is known about the fire?

Fire officials on the scene determined the fire started near an exhaust vent at the Dyno Nobel facility. The blaze was quickly extinguished, and there were no reports of injuries related to the incident.

County officials say the exact amount of damage is unknown as of the time of their update on Tuesday afternoon, but the incident remains under investigation.

Emergency responders thanked the public for their understanding and cooperation during the incident and temporary evacuation order.