DNR seeks $4.3M in damages from man who started 2025 Brimson wildfire

BRIMSON — The state of Minnesota is attempting to recover an estimated $4.3 million from the man responsible for starting a massive and destructive wildfire in 2025 in St. Louis County.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday, July 23, it will pursue civil damages for wildfire suppression costs from Parker John Wilson, who pleaded guilty to starting the Camp House Fire in May 2025.

The DNR is authorized under the Minnesota Wildfire Act to recover the state's costs of responding to the fire near Brimson, which burned more than 12,070 acres and destroyed more than 180 structures, including homes and outbuildings. Most of the structures were total losses.

"This recovery cost reflects expenses incurred by DNR including firefighters, aircraft, equipment, and emergency response operations," according to a media statement from the DNR. "It does not include private property losses, which the DNR is not authorized to seek to recover on behalf of individuals."

The Camp House, Jenkins Creek and Munger Shaw fires burned a total area larger than Lake Kabetogama over two weeks last spring, resulting in $2.35 million in property damage. Camp House was by far the most destructive in those terms.

According to the civil complaint, the DNR and the U.S. Forest Service deployed over 500 firefighters, six firefighting tracked vehicles, 60 firefighting engines, five helicopters and 14 firefighting air tankers and air attack aircraft. The agency also received firefighting assistance from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and 44 volunteer fire departments and contracted private resources.

Any person who starts a fire that violates the Wildfire Act is liable for full damages to the state for all expenses incurred in fighting, preventing the spread of, or extinguishing the fire. The DNR reported that in determining the total cost the agency will seek to recover, it does not initially consider a defendant's ability to pay.

Wilson, 28, of Duluth, was cited last year for failure to extinguish a fire. He was fined $190 for the misdemeanor charge.

According to court filings, the incident occurred on May 11, 2025, at a property he owns on Highway 44 in Brimson, just south of Camp House Road. A red flag warning was in place that day. During red flag warnings, the DNR does not issue or activate open burning permits, and campfires are strongly discouraged.

The new civil complaint details that Wilson told a DNR conservation officer that he and a friend made a small fire to cook his breakfast. He said he poured about 5 gallons of water on the fire, but it was still smoldering when he left to buy fishing supplies at nearby Hugo's Bar.

On his way to go fishing on Salo Lake, he saw smoke from the fire, so he returned to his property and found the fire was about 20 feet around. He said once it made it to the woods, it took off.

The Camp House Fire was not declared out until Oct. 2, 2025.

Wilson was previously cited for setting fires in 2020. According to the citation, he was part of a group having a fire at The Deeps, a popular Duluth swimming destination in Lester Park.