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YIR: Fire hits downtown Calumet

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story first appeared in May 2021.

CALUMET — Fire swept through half a block in downtown Calumet late Friday night, drawing virtually every agency from surrounding areas to fight it well into the early morning hours.

By Saturday morning, the buildings from 108 to 120 Fifth Street in Calumet were declared a total loss. Three Calumet firefighters had been treated and released at Aspirus Keweenaw Hospital for minor injuries and smoke inhalation, Harju said.

The fire was reported to 911 at 10:49 p.m., the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday. Calumet Fire Department and Laurium Police Department were first on scene, and evacuated residents of 104 to 120 Fifth Street. Twelve local fire departments responded to the scene.

By 1:30 a.m. Saturday, the fire had been controlled to that stretch of buildings, Houghton County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Harju said.

The Red Cross is using the Calumet Colosseum as a staging area, Harju said.

“Anyone’s that displaced from this fire will be able to get financial aid or a place to lay their head,” he said.

An estimated 20 to 30 people were displaced in the fire. Pigs N’ Heat is assisting in the aid for displaced people, including putting them up at the AmericInn, Harju said. The Salvation Army also lodged victims and provided assistance on scene, including providing food to firefightres with donations from Econo Foods, BP of Calumet and McDonald’s.

Assisting the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office and local fire departments were Michigan State Police Calumet Post, Keweenaw County Sheriff’s Office, Laurium Village Police Department, Mercy EMS, B&B Contracting, UPPCO and Semco.

As of Saturday morning, the cause was still unknown, the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office said. The Michigan State Police Fire Marshal had been contacted.

Firefighters had to contend with high winds, which may have contributed to the spread of the fire to multiple buildings.

The fire drew hundreds of onlookers around the perimeter set up by fire and police. After the front wall of one building collapsed, firefighters directed the public back another block to Sixth Street.

On the back side of the buildings, some had gathered on the front lawn of the Calumet Housing Commission. Resident Barbara Mills learned of the fire when her grandson c

called her from Marquette. She’d never seen so many fire trucks, she said.

“I just can’t believe it,” she said.

Anyone with information on the cause of the fire is asked to contact the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office at 482-0055. Affected residents can also call the Red Cross at 800-236-8680 for help with relief services.

The villages of Calumet and Laurium are under an advisory to boil water for drinking or cooking for three to five minutes prior to use, the Village of Calumet said in a Facebook post Saturday. The advisory is expected to last until approximately noon Sunday.

All proceeds from the opening of the roller rink at the Gipp Arena in Laurium will go to those affected by the fire. The event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. this Saturday. The cost is $2 per person for three hours. Donations will also be accepted.

The AmericInn in Calumet is also collecting for victims of the fire, it announced on its Facebook page. A list of needed clothes and sizes can be found here. People should contact Dianne St. Amour at (906) 337-6463 to see what items may still be needed. The AmericInn is asking for physical donations to be brought to the Salvation Army in Hancock; due to the outpouring of support from the community, they have no more space.

The Salvation Army in Hancock is accepting both financial and material donations for people displaced by the fire, the Village of Calumet said on its Facebook page. Financial donations should be sent to the Salvation Army (note Calumet Fire Assistance) and can be sent to or dropped off at the Salvation Army at 408 Ravine St. in Hancock or at the AmericInn at 56925 S. 6th St. in Calumet. Both organizations are coordinating with the Red Cross to address the long- and short-term needs of the displaced.

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