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Minnesota Wildfires

MPR News keeps track of real-time wildfire updates so you can keep yourself and your family safe.

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How weather and climate shape wildfire risk

MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks with MPR News meteorologists about the weather conditions that make wildfires more likely to ignite and spread and how a changing climate is influencing fire seasons in Minnesota.
by Kelly Gordon and Cari Dwyer

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‘We gotta go’: Brothers tell of harrowing wilderness escape as wildfires closed in

‘We gotta go’: Brothers tell of harrowing wilderness escape as wildfires closed in

Tom and John Connelly put in on Saturday for what was supposed to be a 10-day fishing trip through Quetico Provincial Park, across the Canadian border from the Boundary Waters. Then came the fires and a heart-pounding struggle to make it out.
by Dan Kraker

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Reaching a record level, Duluth's hazardous air quality forces many tourists indoors

Reaching a record level, Duluth's hazardous air quality forces many tourists indoors

Smoke from the wildfires burning in northeastern Minnesota and in Canada is creating the worst air quality on record in many cities across Minnesota and the entire Great Lakes region. One of the worst spots has been Duluth, which is in the height of the city's busy tourist season.
by Dana Ferguson

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Boundary Waters closed? These alternatives can deliver a wilderness fix

Boundary Waters closed? These alternatives can deliver a wilderness fix

There’s no perfect substitute to the BWCA. But paddlers and campers can still find peaceful water, star-filled skies and off-the-beaten-path experiences in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Here’s where to look.
by Kirsti Marohn

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With air so smoky you 'taste it,' Ely residents seek relief

With air so smoky you 'taste it,' Ely residents seek relief

With a thick blanket of smoke over much of northern Minnesota right now as fires rage along the Canadian border, Ely set a record for its worst air quality reading ever on Thursday. Residents are on the hunt for masks and air purifiers, and some are having trouble finding them.
by Estelle Timar-Wilcox

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Wildfire smoke disrupts outdoor parties, concerts across Twin Cities

Wildfire smoke disrupts outdoor parties, concerts across Twin Cities

Some Minnesotans are calling off planned outdoor outings, from birthday parties to music shows, because of the poor air quality from wildfire smoke. But others, like the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival, are keeping plans for now.
by Nicole Ki

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BWCA entry permits canceled through Sunday

BWCA entry permits canceled through Sunday

Refunds will go out automatically for anyone who has an entry permit through Sunday.
by Catharine Richert

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