Wildfire

The Emergency Forest Order, which prohibited campfires and charcoal-fueled cookstoves, will be lifted on June 12, 2026.

The Emergency Forest Order will be in effect in all areas of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness beginning at midnight on June 6, 2026.

The fire grew to its current size within hours of starting northwest of Burntside Lake on June 1, 2026, amid high temperatures, low humidity and light winds.

As northern Crow Wing County residents address damage from the May 16, 2026, Flanders Fire, officials remind residents of common contractor scams.

The fire, which began May 16, 2026, burned around 1,666 acres in Crow Wing County. The DNR asks residents and others in the area with information to contact them.

About a half-inch of rain fell across the area overnight into Tuesday, and crews are expected to return to work on securing and improving the fire lines again.

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said the fire was one of at least a half-dozen blazes in the county as high winds, low humidity and drought conditions persisted.

As "green-up" slowly makes its way north, Minnesota's firefighters remain alert to conditions where wildfires can easily spread due to available fuels and dry weather.

A red flag warning means fires can spread quickly and grow out of control under the predicted weather conditions, including strong winds and low relative humidity.

The St. Louis County Land & Minerals' forestry division oversaw the planting of red and white pine seedlings over about 48 acres of tax-forfeited land that had burned.