Near Two Harbors, 34 structures burned and Highway 61 closed; in Crow Wing County, a 1,200-acre fire sparked evacuations

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Authorities in Lake County say the Stewart Trail Fire that erupted Friday amid gusty winds and tinder-dry conditions along the North Shore has burned more than 30 buildings.

The fire northeast of Two Harbors was estimated at 355 acres in size with 30 percent containment as of Saturday night. 

 continued Sunday for homes and businesses northeast of Two Harbors. 

Lake County Sheriff Nathan Stadler announced Saturday night that a damage assessment found the fire burned 34 structures — eight “primary” structures, such as homes, as well as 26 outbuildings.

“We know that this situation is stressful for residents, visitors, everybody involved — and our teams are working around the clock to keep people safe,” Stadler said at a news conference, 

. “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.”

Authorities said there have been no injuries or deaths from the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Local, state and federal crews — dozens of personnel in total — were battling the fire on the ground and from the air. Fire officials described another day of challenging weather conditions on Saturday, with gusty winds that contributed to a flare-up near the Silver Creek Cliff tunnel. 

Joe Meyer with the Minnesota Incident Management Team said there are “a lot of hazards out there yet with trees that are burning, or burnt off,” with their roots exposed.

“With the winds that we’ve been having in the last few days, those trees start coming down on their own, so we’re a little reluctant on letting folks back in there yet,” Meyer said at the Saturday night news conference. 

Fire crews across northern Minnesota were kept busy Saturday, with multiple new wildfires starting amid the dry and windy weather — including the large 

A shift to east winds is expected Sunday — but officials said rain in the forecast and higher humidity should aid firefighters.

The closure of Highway 61 — which started Friday and continued Saturday and Sunday — was sending residents and visitors on a long detour for trips to and from points farther up the North Shore. Stadler said the closure would be reassessed on Sunday.

 from businesses along the North Shore for people who were evacuated or may have lost their home.

 two of its employees and their family lost their home in the fire. An 

 was started to help the family, and the restaurant was also collecting donations for residents and firefighters.

Elsewhere in northeastern Minnesota, 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 around 7 p.m. Friday after scooping water from Kjostad Lake, east of Orr.

Authorities asked 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 

. “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.”

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Andrew Krueger

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Lake County Sheriff Nathan Stadler announced Saturday night that a damage assessment found the fire burned 34 structures — eight “primary” structures, such as homes, as well as 26 outbuildings.


More than 30 buildings burned by Stewart Trail Fire near Two Harbors; Highway 61 still closed

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