Firefighters trying to contain northern Minn. wildfires

Firefighters are still working to contain wildfires in parts of northern Minnesota.

Windy, dry weather is feeding fires that have burned about 17,000 acres of woods and grasslands. Jean Bergerson, with the Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids, said the spring fire season started earlier than usual. Officials have called in firefighters from Illinois and Michigan to help out.

"Our folks started fighting fires on the 17th of March and they'd like to take a little well-needed time off here and there," Bergerson said. "So those folks will spell them for a day off now and then. Also, we have exhausted our resources because the entire state pretty much north of the Twin Cities area is in fire season."

Bergerson said the fire risk is rated "high" across southern Minnesota, and it's rated "very high" from the north metro all of the way to the Canadian border.