Stewart Trail Fire near Two Harbors now 62 percent contained; at least 30 buildings burned
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Authorities in Lake County said the Stewart Trail Fire, which erupted Friday amid gusty winds and tinder-dry conditions along the North Shore and continued to burn through Sunday, had destroyed more than 30 buildings.
But much cooler temperatures and increased humidity Sunday helped firefighting crews gain an upper hand in their effort to contain and put out the blaze.
Mike Hill, the incident commander with the Minnesota Incident Command System, described the situation as smoldering, but said the fire has not grown since Saturday.
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Hill said the fire northeast of Two Harbors was estimated at 355 acres in size and is now about 62 percent contained as of Sunday evening.
Hill said crews used aircraft to dowse flames and contain any flareups.
“Aircraft isn’t the sole answer, it’s not the only thing, but what it does is it buys us time and the ability to insert people on the ground safely to follow that action up of putting water on it,” HIll said, adding that crews had more ability to bulldoze and hand-dig a perimeter.
But Hill said despite the cooler weather, a shift in the winds and rain in the forecast, there's still a lot of work to do.
"There's mop up, there's patrol, and now we were talking about the next phase of this incident, which is trying to get people back to normal to the degree possible,” HIll said.
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.
Two Harbors Mayor Lew Conner said firefighters were able to save at least two homes.
“They got there in time, so that they could, they could prevent the fire front from getting them down,” Connor told MPR News. “I hear from, from some of them, that that they're a little bit disgruntled, because so many homes did go, and they feel, not responsible, but they feel like… that hurts when, when they're there to do a job, and they, they weren't able to do it, but they clearly, they're working hard.”
Connor also praised the work of firefighters from at least a dozen neighboring North Shore communities that joined the containment effort.
Evacuation orders continued Sunday for homes and businesses northeast of Two Harbors. State Highway 61 remained closed between Two Harbors and Silver Bay, according to Lake County Sheriff Stadler.
“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 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.”
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 Flanders Fire in Crow Wing County.
The closure of Highway 61 — which started Friday and continued through Sunday — sent 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, though he had not made an announcement as of 5:45 p.m.
The fire prompted an outpouring of support from businesses along the North Shore for people who were evacuated or may have lost their home.
The Rustic Inn Cafe in Castle Danger said two of its employees and their family lost their home in the fire. An online fundraiser was started to help the family, and the restaurant was also collecting donations for residents and firefighters.
Firefighting plane struck by bullet
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 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.”
