Several dozen residents were evacuated from their homes on Sunday afternoon as crews worked to extinguish a rapidly spreading wildfire in St. Louis County.
At about 1:15 p.m. Sunday, several fire departments were dispatched to the 2200 block of Hwy. 44 in Ault Township on a report of a wildfire spreading to the northeast. A number of cabins, garages and other structures have been affected, according to a news release from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.
There are so far no known injuries.
As of 3 p.m., officials estimated the fire had covered about 160 acres.
As residents evacuate, the Ault Town Hall building was open for people to receive information and assistance.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The National Weather Service issued a fire watch for a large portion of Minnesota as warm temperatures combined with low humidity this weekend raised the risk of wildfires. Wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph and temperatures close to 90 degrees also made it more likely any fires would quickly spread.
Agencies brought in extra resources this weekend due to the high risk.
