As wildfires north of Duluth rage, DNR designates part of state ‘explosive’

DULUTH – Three major northeast Minnesota wildfires remain uncontrolled Thursday, with the state at its highest level of response readiness because of the overall extreme conditions.

Minnesota’s wildfire preparedness level was at a 5, on a scale from 1 to 5, because of the current activity and extended threat, said a spokeswoman for the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids.

The level acknowledges the severe fire activity, engaged personnel and gear, and the possible need for more help.

“We are stretched thin,” said spokeswoman Leanne Langeberg of the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center, which coordinates firefighting among state and federal agencies.

Langeberg said the state might need more national resources.

Much of the state has been under a red-flag warning and burning restrictions this week. The Department of Natural Resources on Thursday designated the fire danger in several parts of the state, including the fire region, as “explosive.

The Camp House fire near Brimson, about an hour north of Duluth, began Sunday and covers about 15,000 acres, or 23 square miles. It has destroyed nearly 150 structures.

The 15,600-acre Jenkins Creek and 1,600-acre Munger Shaw fires began Monday.

All three are in St. Louis County, although some fire activity is threatening Lake County.

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay has said the Camp House fire was called in as an out-of-control campfire. He said the Jenkins Creek fire started on the side of a road, potentially by a cigarette.

Their causes were under investigation.

Incident commander Brian Jenkins said Thursday in Two Harbors that while neither of the fires were contained, miles of bulldozer lines to aid in that effort have been made along the Camp House fire and aircraft continued to drop water.

Extreme fire behavior had dissipated, he said, and the two fires — between 4 and 6 miles apart — were not expected to merge based on weather and fire activity.

High humidity and cooler weather, along with about a half-inch of expected rain, should help dampen the fires over the next 24 hours, said Joe Moore of the National Weather Service in Duluth.

Gusting winds out of the east and lightning could be a problem, he said.

“However, we haven’t seen a lot of smoke activity on satellite yet … because it’s a lot more humid,” Moore said. “That will really slow the fire spread and reduce the fire activity.”

He said the forecast doesn’t indicate the Jenkins Creek fire could reach Hoyt Lakes, which is the largest city nearest the fire.

Jenkins also said he was “feeling comfortable” about the safety of Hoyt Lakes. Much effort has gone into protecting the small community of Skibo and an AT&T cellphone tower that, if destroyed, would affect other towers and service for that region.

The Camp House and Jenkins Creek fires now are managed by the Eastern Area Incident Management Team, which is referring to them as the combined Brimson Fire Complex. That raises the level of coordination with federal and state agencies because of the fires’ severity.

Five elite “hotshot” crews from around the country were expected to arrive Thursday to assist with the Jenkins Creek fire, which continues to burn actively in its northwest portion.

More resources for that fire have been ordered, said Jenkins, the incident commander, and continue to arrive, including 18 wildland fire engines, each carrying at least a three-member crew.

“We’re getting what we need,” he said.

Jenkins said authorities hope to allow residents to see their properties in the next few days. No new evacuations have been ordered.

The Camp House fire was on pace to become the most destructive Minnesota wildfire in modern times. It would surpass the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Ham Lake fire of 2007, which destroyed more than 130 structures.

Lane Johnson, a researcher and forester with the Cloquet Forestry Center, said it’s too soon to put destruction from current wildfires in any context. But he said it’s notable that the Ham Lake and Brimson Complex fires all started early in the fire season by humans, as opposed to the Arrowhead region Pagami Creek, Greenwood and Cavity Lake fires, which were caused by lightning.

“It’s possible some property owners were not yet ‘wildfire ready’ by the time these fires began,” he said. “It’s an important reminder that we do have potential for high fire risk in Minnesota anytime during the snow-free season when all the right conditions align.”

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