Crews respond to fire at former lumber company site near Cook

Five fire departments responded to a structure fire Tuesday at an industrial property 5 miles south of Cook in rural Angora Township.
The fire was reported at the former Ainsworth Lumber Co. property off U.S. Highway 53 at 4:47 p.m. Tuesday, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. A local company is in the process of salvaging the abandoned facility. The Sheriff’s Office reported that the fire was in a pit inside a building on the property.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and the extent of the damage was unknown Tuesday night, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Firefighters remained on the scene for several hours, but scanner reports indicated some crews had left the scene by 9 p.m.
The Cook, Pike Sandy Britt, Orr, Evergreen and Greenwood volunteer fire departments responded to the fire.