34 buildings damaged by wildfire near Two Harbors; Highway 61 still closed
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Evacuation orders were still in effect and Minnesota Highway 61 remained closed Saturday night between Two Harbors and Silver Bay as crews continued working to contain a destructive wildfire along the North Shore.
In an update Saturday evening, Lake County and firefighting officials said the Stewart Trail Fire northeast of Two Harbors had damaged or destroyed 34 structures — eight “primary” structures, such as homes, as well as 26 outbuildings.
The fire was estimated at 355 acres in size and was 30 percent contained as of Saturday evening — an improvement from the 0 percent containment reported on Saturday morning. Authorities said there have been no injuries or deaths from the fire.
“We know that this situation is stressful for residents, visitors, everybody involved — and our teams are working around the clock to keep people safe,” Lake County Sheriff Nathan Stadler said at the Saturday evening news conference, livestreamed by Northern News Now. “Just please be patient. The crews are doing the best they can. They’re working hard to get this fire under control, get the area safe, so that people can get back into their properties.”
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The Stewart Trail Fire started Friday afternoon northeast of Two Harbors amid gusty winds and tinder-dry conditions. As of Saturday evening the cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Local, state and federal crews — dozens of personnel in total — were battling the fire on the ground and from the air. Stadler and other officials said that in addition to the fire, there was concern about trees damaged by the fire but left standing — and the possibility they could fall amid gusty winds. That was one reason for the ongoing evacuations and highway closure.
Two Harbors Mayor Lew Conner said the city was not at risk of the ongoing wildfire as of Saturday afternoon. However, Conner said the city is still putting together plans in case the fire escalates. Crews are watching for a shift to east winds on Sunday — along with a welcome chance for rain.
“The winds are swirling right now,” he said. “We’re hoping that tomorrow afternoon we’re supposed to get rain for two days. That should help out a lot.”
Containment lines are being set up outside of the city, Conner said. Two Harbors is also in contact with Duluth in case the fire does force evacuations.
Lake County issued evacuation orders Friday for homes and businesses along State Highway 61 and County Road 3 northeast of Two Harbors. Those remained in effect Saturday evening. A shelter was set up at Sonju Arena in Two Harbors.
Silver Creek Early Learning Center, a 60-acre indoor and outdoor preschool, is located in the middle of the evacuation area. Head teacher Erin Carlson, 45, was heading into Two Harbors on Friday afternoon.
“I drove past patches of burning grass not far from our house and quickly realized that I needed to turn around and get our dogs and get out,” Carlson said in an interview with MPR News.
Carlson got her dogs and left. She said while driving that she “drove through fire on both sides of Highway 61” that spread “very quickly.”
“I knew I didn’t have time to get anything else, so we just booked it back to town,” Carlson said.
Carlson and her three German short-haired pointers—Greta, Jersey and Maggie—along with a neighbor are currently staying with Carlson’s mother in Two Harbors. She said she’s fortunate to have people to stay with, but knows of others who don’t have family nearby.
She said she knows of close neighbors along Highway 61 and between Highway 3 and Silver Creek Cliff tunnel who lost their homes. She added that she did “see some total losses of homes, and just a lot of devastation to the landscape” from social media posts.
“We have a really strong community, so I know that we’re going to get through it,” Carlson said. “Everybody’s going to pitch in where they need to, and we’re lucky to have that. There’s a lot of benefits to small town life, and I know that everybody’s going to have each other’s back and help get through this together.”
Silver Creek Early Learning Center is not open on Fridays, so children were not present during the wildfire. Carlson said her preschool canceled class on Monday.
Highway 61 remained closed between Two Harbors and Castle Danger on Saturday night — requiring a long detour for drivers heading to and from points farther up the North Shore. Stadler, the Lake County sheriff, said that closure would be reassessed on Sunday.
The evacuation order also affected part of the Superior Hiking Trail.
The Stewart Trail Fire was one of at least 18 wildfires in northeastern Minnesota on Friday. More wildfires were reported amid gusty winds and low humidity on Saturday — including a large fire that prompted evacuations in Crow Wing County.
Firefighting plane struck by bullet
The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said a firefighting plane apparently was struck by a bullet while working to control a fire in the northern part of the county on Friday evening.
The damage was discovered when the single-engine plane returned to the Hibbing airport. No one was injured. The sheriff’s office said it believes the plane was hit after scooping water from Kjostad Lake, east of Orr, around 7 p.m. Friday.
Authorities are asking the public to share any information they have about the incident.
“We are going to work hard to find the individual or individuals responsible for this and bring about justice in this case,” St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said in a statement on social media. “We are grateful the pilot was not injured or killed. The last thing these tremendous pilots should have to be concerned about is being shot at.”
Community response
Amid the ongoing firefighting efforts near Two Harbors — and uncertainty over whether any homes or businesses were lost to the flames — local residents and businesses offered free meals and other assistance on Saturday.
The Rustic Inn Cafe in Castle Danger reported that “all of our staff members are safe. However, we have a couple of employees who most likely have lost their home in the fire, and our hearts are with them and every family affected. ... We are incredibly grateful for the firefighters, first responders, volunteers, and emergency personnel working tirelessly to protect our community.”
The restaurant said it was offering free meals Saturday to first responders and families displaced by the wildfire. It was also accepting donations for firefighters and residents affected by the fire.
Do North Pizzeria in Two Harbors and the food truck Na-cho Bizness were also offering free meals to first responders and residents who had to evacuate.
“No questions. No expectations. Just neighbors helping neighbors,” the operators of the food truck posted online. “To every person working long hours, protecting homes, helping families and keeping our community safe — thank you.”
Additional firefighting help
Before Friday’s wildfires, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said this week that amid the elevated fire danger, additional wildland firefighting crews from Ontario and Manitoba were in Minnesota to assist local crews — part of an agreement called the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact.
“Their presence reflects the value of long-standing partnerships and a shared commitment to helping one another during periods of increased wildfire potential,” the DNR said.
