More crews, milder weather slow growth of northeast Minnesota wildfires
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Higher humidity and lower temperatures have slowed the growth of the fires burning in northeastern Minnesota. But fire officials remain concerned about gusty winds and possible lightning forecasted later today.
The largest of the fires, the Jenkins Creek Fire, burned aggressively earlier in the week, with hot, windy weather causing the fire to reach the crowns of trees. Crews are currently focused on protecting the community of Skibo.
The fire is currently about seven miles east of the town of Hoyt Lakes. St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay advised residents there to remain on alert, in case the winds shift in that direction and pick up in intensity.
“What the experts say is that, given the humidity and the conditions, Hoyt Lakes would have at least 24 hours” to evacuate, Ramsey said.
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Ramsay described a surreal, “warlike” scene driving through the area scorched by the Camphouse Fire near Brimson, with only chimneys left from some burned homes and cabins.
The head of the county rescue squad reported encountering a porcupine with all its quills burned off. Ramsay said there are large numbers of snowshoe hares congregating near Highway 44, as they seek out one of the few places not covered in hot ash.
“I think this is going to go down as one of Minnesota’s historic fires,” said Ramsay.
“The amount of devastation and destruction is hard to comprehend. I feel for these people that have lost their homes, their family cabins,” he said. “I talked to a number of people who have long memories, second and third generations that have been part of these cabins. It’s really sad.”
More than 200 firefighters are now battling the fires, including four new elite hotshot crews that flew in from other parts of the country.
Feeding the crews
As hundreds of firefighters and emergency crews have descended on northeastern Minnesota, a neighborhood bar in Brimson called Hugo’s is not just a hub for community gathering. It’s also a de facto distribution center for the donations pouring in to help keep the crews fed and hydrated.
“So we’ve got fruit snacks. We’ve got granola bars like crazy,” said Erin Aho, who owns a candle shop in Two Harbors. She said she brought up $1,500 worth of donations from her friends and neighbors.
“We’ve gone through cases of bug spray,” she said, noting that the fires have not repelled the bugs. “They’re in full force.”
Aho said it has been easy to secure donations via Facebook posts.
“You don’t have to say we’re gonna put your business logo on this donation. People are anonymous. They don’t even want their names on the donations. They’re coming,” she said. “They’re bringing what they need. And they say, ‘What can we do?’”
The Camp House fire is burning near Brimson, about 40 miles northeast of Duluth. The Jenkins Creek fire is burning east of Hoyt Lakes, and south of Babbitt. The two fires are just a few miles apart and are now being managed as the “Brimson Complex” fires.
About 25 miles away, the Munger Shaw fire is burning east of Canyon, and southeast of Cotton.
All together, the three fires have now consumed about 50 square miles of forest — close to the size of the city of Minneapolis.
So far, none of the fires are considered “contained,” which happens when firefighters are able to establish a secure line around the perimeter of the fire where they're confident the fire won't jump.
As of Wednesday evening, about 150 structures, including many homes and cabins, have been destroyed.
Camp House Fire near Brimson
14,979 acres as of Thursday morning
Zero-percent containment
About 150 structures destroyed, including homes and cabins
Evacuation orders remain in place, extending east into Lake County
Jenkins Creek Fire southeast of Hoyt Lakes
15,570 acres as of Thursday morning, revised downward from Wednesday’s update
Zero-percent containment
At least one structure destroyed
Evacuation orders remain in place
Munger Shaw / Three Lakes Road Fire east of Canyon
1,700 acres as of Thursday morning
Zero-percent containment
Evacuation orders remain in place
St. Louis County has posted its wildfire evacuation maps online.
The Superior National Forest has closed sections of the federal lands around the fires, and several roads and highways are closed as well. That includes County Highway 16 / Town Line Road, which is used by people traveling between the Iron Range and the North Shore.
Uncertainty amidst evacuations
Mike Christianson, who's on the town board for Bassett, was forced to evacuate due to the fires. His community, home to about 70 people, is caught between the two largest fires — the Camp House fire to the south, and the Jenkins Creek fire to the west.
On Sunday, Christianson watched as airplanes scooped water from Cadotte Lake. By Monday morning, smoke from the Jenkins Creek fire was billowing up from the other side of the water.
“I was in a Bible study at Bassett Congregational Church, and my wife stuck her head in [and said] we gotta go,” Christianson recalled.
He said his sister, Diane Knaffla, lost her house. “Forty years of living there, so sad.”
The family is now staying in a camper in the Whiteface Reservoir, about 10 miles west of Cadotte Lake, free of charge.
“I have to tip my hat to the campground people,” Christianson said. “They're just taking care of us. They're heroes to us.”
While there's a lot of uncertainty and his neighbors are scattered, Christianson said Bassett residents continue to check on and care for one another, and are benefitting from the generosity of folks at Hugo's Bar, a thrift store in Two Harbors and others.
While it has water on both sides, Christianson isn't 100 percent sure if his home remains standing.
“I'm confident, but if not, it's a box of sticks. We can always rebuild. It's our families, it's our loved ones, it's our community,” he said. “When the evacuation order gets lifted, it's going to be sadness, and it's also going to be joy for people that, you know, haven't lost anything. So there's a lot of mixed emotions going on, but we'll pull through.”
Help for victims
Two chapters of the United Way are establishing funds to help people recover from the fires.
The nonprofit organizations say monetary donations are what's most needed, not food or material items.
In a news release, Erin Shay, executive director of the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota, said people affected by the fires have different needs, so contributing to the recovery fund is the best way to help.
Donations can be made online to either the United Way of Northeastern Minnesota or Head of the Lakes United Way. All proceeds collected will go to help affected residents, not for administrative costs.
The American Red Cross is partnering on the recovery effort.
Keeping safe amid the crisis
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said some people did not want to evacuate their homes amidst the wildfires. His staff has spent the last few days trying to find residents who were unaccounted for.
“There was one elderly woman we were particularly concerned about, and fortunately, we found her today, alive and well in Superior, but that’s a concern,” he said. “We had one gentleman over on a lake that’s still safe, but we talked to him about evacuation. He said, ‘The only way I’m leaving this place is toes up.’”
Another concern is that a lot of people are anxious to check on their homes to see if they survived, or to see what's left.
Micah Bell is the lead public information officer for the Eastern area incident management team, which is managing the Brimson Complex. Bell said people need to stay away from closed areas.
“We want to keep people out of there for two reasons. One, their safety. Second of all, firefighter safety,” he said. “If somebody is going down a very skinny road to go check on their hunting cabin, and the fire changes, and now firefighters are coming out that same road, we have a problem.”
The arrival of elite crews and expected rain could help them start to contain the blazes. But he acknowledged fires of this size can burn for a long time, sometimes several weeks.
MPR News host Cathy Wurzer and producer Gracie Stockton contributed to this report.
