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Published March 31, 2010, 12:00 AM

Photo Gallery: Fire spotting from Gordon's fire tower


Bea Laakkonen, DNR seasonal fire spotter, uses a pair of binoculars Tuesday to watch for fires from atop the Gordon fire tower. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com

  • Bea Laakkonen, DNR seasonal fire spotter, uses a pair of binoculars Tuesday to watch for fires from atop the Gordon fire tower. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com
  • Mark Braasch, DNR forest ranger in Gordon, Wisc., starts the climb up the stairways to reach the top of the Gordon fire tower Tuesday. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com
  • A look out the north window of the Gordon fire tower shows a picturesque view of a bend in the St. Croix River. Visibility from the tower Tuesday was about 12 miles. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com
  • Bea Laakkonen (right), DNR seasonal fire spotter, uses an alidade to determine the precise direction of possible smoke sighting Tuesday. At left is Mark Braasch, DNR forest ranger in Gordon. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com
  • The alidade or sighting device inside the fire tower is marked with known sources of smoke such as a woodstove 4 1/2 miles away at an azimuth of 269 degrees or nearly due west. Other landmarks are also included. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com
  • Bea Laakkonen of Bennett, a DNR seasonal fire spotter, uses a hand-held wind gauge outside an open window in the fire tower to determine wind speed. It average 20-30 mph with gusts to 45 mph Tuesday. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com
  • The quarters atop the fire tower in Gordon is outfitted with a small wood stove for use on chilly days. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com
  • Mark Braasch, DNR forest ranger in Gordon, explains how different fire spotters on neighboring towers (red circles) combine their sightings to triangulate a fire's position once spotted.
  • (File / News Tribune)