MISSION TOWNSHIP — The Crow Wing County sheriff said law enforcement thinks they know who started the Flanders Fire in May, but no criminal charges are expected.
Sheriff Eric Klang told the Crow Wing County Board at its July 14 meeting that he believes a 72-year-old man and his family who came up to the area started a small fire that grew to 1,700 acres.
"Where it goes from here, I'm not very hopeful, because they've lawyered up and have not been in contact — they won't talk to us anymore," he said.
The Flanders Fire started May 16 on the north shore of Flanders Lake in Mission Township, about 4 miles southeast of Crosslake, and rapidly grew amid favorable fire weather. It burned 1,712 acres in all and took four days to contain.
Klang said the charge for starting the fire would have been a petty misdemeanor, which carries a maximum fine of $300 and no jail time.
A civil case would be needed to recoup any costs, he said. The county estimates it lost $4.6 million in potential forestry revenue on 910 acres that burned. Replanting will cost an estimated $434,000.
On Friday, Gov. Tim Walz announced Crow Wing and Lake counties are eligible for disaster aid after spring wildfires. The Stewart Trail Fire burned 356 acres and destroyed 34 structures north of Two Harbors. The total amount of disaster assistance is pending damage assessments.
After the Board meeting, Klang told the Brainerd Dispatch that the family did call in to report the fire, and the investigation remains open. But he doesn't "see it going anywhere."
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Co-hosts Heidi Holtan and Charlie Mitchell discover goblin ferns (also known as goblin moonworts), gaze at snapping turtles, and discuss what it means to be a naturalist.Send us a voice memo through Speak Pipe! -
Plus: MN DNR took comments on Tamarack Mining Project; and proposed lodging denied by Nashwauk City Council -
Events this week include Mines and Pines Revisited in Hibbing, a program on pond critters at Lake Bemidji State Park and a night out in Brainerd.
