Northeastern Minnesotans get first look at burn damage as wildfire threat diminishes
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Some owners of homes and cabins in areas torched by this week’s massive wildfires in northeastern Minnesota got their first look Friday at the devastation and had a chance to see if their structures were still standing or if they had burned to the ground.
Meanwhile, cooler, wet weather continued to help firefighting crews make progress in their efforts to contain the blazes, which burned out of control for most of the last week, destroying about 150 structures, while scorching tens of thousands of acres of forest land.
Gov. Tim Walz and Sens. Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar, all Democrats, toured some of the fire ravaged areas and met with residents, first responders, and volunteers, as did U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, a Republican who represents this part of the state in Congress. All vowed that federal and state support for the response and recovery is on the way.
Anxious property owners get a brief opportunity to see damage
Fire officials and the St. Louis County Sheriff’s office allowed evacuees back into areas scorched by the rapidly spreading flames to check on their properties until 8:00 p.m. Friday. MPR News correspondent Dan Kraker toured the area and described the burn damage as “surreal” and “apocalyptic” on All Things Considered on Friday.
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“You can see where the fire burned across Highway 44 so hot, where the soil is just charred pitch black. Lots of blackened trees lying crisscrossed on the forest floor. And lots of burned trees still standing like charred toothpicks,” Kraker said.
“What I think is perhaps the most surprising is how you drive along, and some houses are just totally gone” Kraker added. “There’s just a chimney left, or some charred metal, or the stone foundation, and nothing else. But other places, the forest might be burned around them, but the homes are still standing.”
Dave Sibben was one of the homeowners who drove in to see his property Friday. He and his wife live in Fridley, but for the past 24 years have owned a cabin in the woods outside Brimson.
“We’d come up here every weekend, if we had a weekend available,” Sibben said. “We were up here a lot, winter, summer, for long periods of time, and did a lot of four wheeling and snowmobiling and fishing. What you come up here to do, to relax, get away from the big city.”
But now, his place for relaxation is gone. They saw pictures earlier in the week and knew that their place had been destroyed. But they still wanted to see it in person. All that remains is a chimney and the charred remains of a garage.
“It’s just devastating,” he said. “And to see all my neighbors up there that have lost their houses, that live here.”
“Toys are replaceable,” he said, although he admitted he would have loved to have saved his new John Deere tractor. “It wasn’t our permanent home. There wasn’t a lot of sentimental value of stuff in there, like you would in your personal home.”
Even though it’s been only a few days since their cabin was destroyed, Sibben said he already knows they will rebuild. He just doesn’t know when.
“We got to take our time and see what comes about with this fire,” he said. “If there’s gonna be any help from anybody. Some of my stuff’s insured, some of it ain’t. It’s just the way it goes.”
Fire officials say many of the properties that survived are places where the homeowners cut down trees close to their houses and cabins, they created what they call defensible space between their cabins and the forest.
They say those preemptive actions give firefighters the ability to come in and do additional work to protect those homes, by hosing them down, and with water dropped from the air by planes and helicopters.
“It gives the fire departments and structure protection people an opportunity to save it, whereas, if you have fuels right up against your structure, there’s not much that we can do to save when fire comes blowing through,” said John Ehret, lead liaison officer for the eastern area incident management team that’s overseeing firefighting efforts.
Randy Freyholtz, chief of the Brimson area volunteer fire department, said his 12-person crew has been working day and night, without pay, protecting their neighbors homes, as well as their own.
“It’s been a rollercoaster of emotion, it’s up and down, especially as it gets close to our personal firefighters’ homes,” Freyholtz said. “It was getting close and encroaching and the emotions were running a little high but we maintained our professionalism and continued our duty as firefighters.”
Freyholtz says that as far they know, all the firefighters’ homes are OK. “Hopefully with this weather change, and weather calming down, it will continue to stay that way,” he added.
Politicians praise community resiliency, offer government support
Rep. Pete Stauber stopped by Hugo’s Bar in Brimson, which has become the place for members of this small but tight knit community to gather, commiserate, share information, and it’s also hub for volunteers to distribute donated food, beverages and other supplies.
Stauber said he’s buoyed by the community support for displaced residents.
“It is amazing, it’s the human spirit within us. We’re seeing that right now. The owners of Hugo’s Bar… part of their bar is for staples, general staples, for people that need it,” said Stauber. “I mean, when something like this happens, we know in this country, we will come together.”
Earlier Friday, Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Tina Smith visited with firefighting crews, volunteers and area residents at Hugo’s. The governor and senators praised the resilience of the Brimson area community, and how strongly people are coming together to help others in need.
Walz also acknowledged that there is still a lot of work ahead for the people of the area affected by the fires, saying that after the flames are out and the politicians leave, everyone is going to have to step up, including state and federal government.
“I know it’s too early for a lot of folks … to think about, but folks want to know what recovery looks like,” Walz said, adding that while “certainly neighbors will help neighbors,” area residents need to know that there will be a state and federal commitment “to help folks rebuild.”
Walz added that if federal relief and recovery aid falls short, the state will step in tapping its own emergency aid fund.
“That means, if we can’t get help federally from FEMA or the incident doesn’t (qualify for federal aid), we have broad authority to put that money in,” Walz said. “And that account sets at $50 million a year to help for flooding, tornadoes, incidents like this.”
If the wet and cooler weather continues this weekend, it will help subdue the huge wildfires and even though they are still burning and two are uncontained, it appears things in northeastern Minnesota have taken a hopeful turn.
Fire officials say they are definitely not out of the woods. But this weather has really helped knock the fires down. More resources are coming to help contain it, with more than 300 firefighters now taking part in the battle.
Kraker notes that “even out in the forest, where you see the charred trees, blackened soil and mounds of gray ash, bright green blades of grass are already popping through in places. It’s a good reminder that fire is a natural part of the ecosystem here.”
Camp House Fire near Brimson
14,805 acres as of Saturday morning
Zero-percent containment
About 150 structures destroyed, including homes and cabins
Residents will be allowed to visit their property from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. on Sunday. They need to check-in with a Sheriff’s deputy and provide an ID and proof of property ownership. Check-in is at Hugo’s Bar.
Jenkins Creek Fire southeast of Hoyt Lakes
16,281 acres as of Saturday morning
Zero-percent containment
At least one structure destroyed
Residents will be allowed to visit their property from 10 a.m. -12 p.m. on Sunday. They need to check-in with a Sheriff’s deputy and provide an ID and proof of property ownership. Check-in is at the Intersection of Hwy 16 & Camp Trail 26.
Munger Shaw/Three Lake Road Fire east of Canyon
1,600 acres as of Saturday morning
50 percent containment
At least one structure destroyed
Evacuation orders were lifted late Thursday
