Stewart Trail Fire on Minnesota’s North Shore is now 62 percent contained
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A wildfire on the North Shore that burned more than 30 buildings is now more than 60 percent contained — with favorable weather conditions helping firefighting crews.
An evacuation order remained in place northeast of Two Harbors on Monday morning, and State Highway 61 remained closed between the Stewart River and Silver Creek Tunnel.
But owners of property in that area between the river and the tunnel are being allowed back in to the burn area today to check on damage. County authorities will escort those with proof of residency or property ownership in to their properties between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. this afternoon.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is visiting the area today and will meet with local officials, firefighters and other first responders.
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The Stewart Trail fire erupted Friday afternoon and quickly spread northeast along the highway, toward the Silver Creek Cliff tunnel. Officials announced Monday morning the fire was started by a downed power line.
Mike Hill, the incident commander with the Minnesota Incident Command System, described the situation on Sunday as smoldering. He said the fire — estimated at 355 acres in size — had not grown since Saturday.
It was 62 percent contained as of Sunday night — meaning that crews had created lines they believe will keep the flames from spreading, around 62 percent of the fire perimeter.
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 and cabins, as well as 26 outbuildings.
One of the families that lost their home was LouAnn and Rick Johnson and their three sons.
“They lost everything,” said Callie Hoff, general manager at the Rustic Inn Cafe along the North Shore, where LouAnn Johnson and one of her boys worked.
“They lost their home, they lost cars, they lost everything you can imagine. They've got pets and a few items and clothing that they were able to take, and pillows,” said Hoff. But she said the family had seen pictures that showed their home reduced to cinder blocks.
Hoff organized a GoFundMe effort that has raised more than $20,000 to help the family rebuild their lives. The Rustic Inn is also providing meals to firefighters and other first responders, and collecting donations at the cafe, from water and snacks to crews working on the fire to clothing and food for the family.
“It's going to take a lot of time for a lot of these people to rebuild, but just having the amount of support and community and people showing up for us is really appreciated,” Hoff said.
County officials on Sunday reduced the size of the evacuation zone, allowing some residents to return home. But authorities said those residents needed to remain prepared to evacuate again, if conditions change.
Crews are also working to contain a second large wildfire in northern Minnesota — the Flanders Fire in Crow Wing County.
Gov. Walz on Sunday declared a peacetime emergency and authorized additional state help for the wildfire response in the northern part of the state — including, potentially, personnel and equipment from the Minnesota National Guard.
