Hungry Jack Lodge Burns Again

     Yesterday was another day that will be added to the history pages for Hungry Jack Lodge.  For the third time in history the lodge was consumed by fire.  1931, 1972 and now 2008 will be remembered as the year Hungry Jack Lodge burned.  

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  March 26, 2008 was a long day for Forrest Parson, his friends and the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department.  Fire fighters from the GTVFD spent  all day trudging through water, slipping on ice and freezing their fingers as Hungry Jack Lodge on the Gunflint Trail was ravaged by flames.  They continued their vigil throughout the night keeping water on hot spots as they flared up.

     When responders first arrived there was hope that something could be done to save the lodge.  That hope was quickly diminished as flames got hotter and higher.  When fire shot out through the roof of the entirely log structure the fresh air fed the flames even more.  It didn’t seem to matter how much water was put on the building it just kept flaring up and consuming more and more of the historic lodge.    

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   The fire raged on and smoke filled the air.  As the minutes went by little hope remained for any of the treasures that were once held inside of this fine building.  The majestic rock chimneys that once stood stoic as a focal point of the lodge would now stand alone and tattered amongst the charred rubble.  

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     Memories of happier times at Hungry Jack Lodge danced across the rainbows created by the spray of water.  It was only one month ago when the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department Relief Association held their annual meeting in the lodge.  Little did we know we would all be back so soon.

     Into the night fire fighters worked by their lights waiting for the next shift to arrive.  Keeping watch, rolling hose and wishing there was more that could have been done.    Sadness filled the hearts of many as only the skeleton of what was once a grand lodge survived.  

     Out of the ashes great things can grow.  May Hungry Jack Lodge rise again bigger and better than ever before.