Flanders fire evacuation order lifted, campfire possible culprit
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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday it has located the origin of the Flanders Fire near the north shore of Flanders Lake.
The fire started early Saturday afternoon and grew to more than 1,600 acres. The fire is now 60 percent contained, and an evacuation order for the area lifted at noon Tuesday.
Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said individuals seem to have started a campfire next to Flanders Lake, possibly on Saturday or the night before, which led to the blaze.
“It looks to me that they probably couldn't be on the lake because it was too windy, so they kind of moved into the woods to get away from that wind, and then at some point that [fire] started,” he said.
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The DNR, which is leading the investigation, said it has identified people of interest tied to the fire.
The agency is asking residents and others in and around the Flanders Lake area who have trail cameras, ring doorbell cameras, or other relevant information to contact the DNR.
Klang said it’s possible that someone could be charged with arson in connection with the Flanders fire.
As crews continue to improve the level of containment, firefighters and equipment are starting to get demobilized.
“The fire is really not actively burning along the edge,” said Tim Engrav, public information officer for the Minnesota Incident Command System team managing the fire response. “So it’s allowing fire crews to really work directly along that fire edge … to cool that edge and work towards containment.”
The Incident Management Team is preparing to transfer firefighting duties back to local authorities.
“Crews are working very hard and diligently at mopping up hot spots, which means anything that is smoking, any flames, any embers, to make sure that we don't have a flare up or a reoccurrence of a fire restarting,” Crosslake Mayor Jackson Purfeerst told MPR News on Monday afternoon.
County Road 11 also reopened to traffic from Crosslake to Minnesota Highway 6. Officials asked the public to avoid the area for their own safety and to allow fire crews to work.
“It’s important that folks aren’t just going there to go look at things,” Engrav said. “There’ll be time later to see the effects of the fire. The effects will be there for a while, unfortunately, so (we) just ask that people refrain from doing that if they don't have a reason to be in there.”
The fire burned in an area that is mostly rural forest and not heavily populated. But it’s dotted with homes and cabins.
As of Monday, the fire hadn’t destroyed any homes or other primary structures, and there were no injuries. A few sheds and outbuildings burned, Purfeerst said.
“We did have one old-school, hand-built cabin that did get hit by the fire,” he said. “But other than that, we are very thankful, because this fire could have been way worse.”
The cause of the Flanders Fire is still under investigation. Engrav said a drought spanning multiple years has left trees and fallen logs tinder dry.
“It’s just not a time to do any outdoor burning,” he said. “With the winds and these low relative humidity levels, fire can get away really fast.”
Residents who live near the fire were told Saturday to evacuate the area. Others were put on alert to be ready to leave if necessary.
A shelter was set up at the Crosslake Community Center to house people who had to leave their homes. On Monday, the location was moved to the Log Church in Crosslake.
Kara Terry, director of community services for Crow Wing County, said several local businesses have donated food or offered other help.
“Crosslake is a pretty amazing community, and Crow Wing County overall,” she said. “We have a lot of great folks here.”
Crews are also working to contain a second large wildfire in northern Minnesota — the Stewart Trail Fire near Two Harbors.
Minnesota Gov. Tim 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.
