Three massive wildfires are all nearly contained after raging for weeks in northeastern Minnesota.
Firefighters have made big progress since the fires broke out around May 12, and all evacuations were lifted on Memorial Day.
Crews are also battling huge wildfires in Central and Western Canada, with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reporting 209 active wildfires as of Tuesday, with 104 burning out of control.
More than 25,000 Canadians have been forced to flee their homes, with most of the evacuees from Manitoba, where a state of emergency was declared last week.
All of Minnesota is under an air quality alert due to the hazardous smoke through Wednesday afternoon, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
As of Tuesday, the National Interagency Fire Center reports the Minnesota fires now cover about 30,000 acres:
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is leading the Jenkins Creek and Munger Shaw fight, while the National Incident Management Organization has command of the Camp House and Horse River fires.
Below are interactive maps, updated regularly by the National Interagency Fire Center. NOTE: Figures may vary from map to map.
The Jenkins Creek Fire
The Jenkins Creek Fire, first reported on May 13, is centered about 60 miles north of Duluth near Hoyt Lakes, just northwest of the Camp House Fire. It tripled in size in the first 24 hours, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Forest Service believes the fire was “human caused,” though the investigation is still in progress.
Unmanned drones are regularly flying over the fire zone at night to “identify remaining residual heat within the perimeter.”
The Camp House Road Fire
The Camp House Road Fire was first reported on May 12, about 45 miles northeast of Duluth. The sheriff’s office reports it has since destroyed more than 150 structures, including cabins and homes.
The forest service says the fire “initially started on private land and moved into national forest system lands.”
“Priority is being given to locations where repair activities can help protect ecologically significant wild rice lakes,” the forest service said.
The Munger Shaw Fire
First reported on May 12 near the town of Cotton, the Munger Shaw Fire quickly spread to hundreds of acres.
“While the fire is largely contained, smoldering hotspots within the fire’s interior may continue to smolder and produce smoke until the fire area receives sufficient precipitation,” the DNR says.
The Horse River Fire
Situated about 35 miles north of Brimson, the Horse River Fire was first reported in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on May 22. The forest service says a lightning strike is the likely culprit, and the fire is being fueled by “thick duff and dead balsam fir trees,” which is complicating containment efforts.
Visitors are being asked to avoid the area between Jackfish Bay and Lower Basswood Falls.
The forest service says crews are moving around the perimeter of the fire on Monday to capture GPS coordinates.
“The crews will continue to methodically work their way across an environment that is not only remote, but difficult to traverse, continuing to locate and suppress sources of heat on the fire,” the forest service said.
How you can help
Donations to support relief for Lake County community members can be made online through the Head of the Lakes United Way.
Donations can also be mailed to Head of the Lakes United Way (please note it’s for wildfire relief): 314 W. Superior St. #750, Duluth, MN 55802.
Donations to support relief for St. Louis County community members can be made online through the United Way Northeastern Minnesota.
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