On February 21st, park staff responded to a mutual aid fire call in the town of Gustavus. A single story residential structure was reported to be on fire by a passerby who called in on the local 911 line. The park's structural fire brigade and other park staff responded along with the local volunteer fire department. By the time responding units began arriving on scene, the structure was fully engulfed and could not be saved. Neither the owner of the house nor any other people were present when the fire started. The fire, which had begun burning into a stand of nearby trees, was limited to the structure. Two vehicles and a boat on a trailer parked in an attached carport were also destroyed. The cause of the fire, which is under the jurisdiction of the state fire marshal, has not been determined. Ten park staff served in various positions on the fire ? as the operations section chief, as firefighters, and as support staff assisting with maintaining water supplies, logistics and dispatch. Park staff are integral to the community's emergency response resources and are routinely called in to respond to incidents of this type under an existing memorandum of understanding.
