It's Mid-May, And Two Fires (Among 80-Odd) Burned 30,000 Acres In Freaking Minnesota Over The Weekend

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As unseasonable heat overtook the region, wildfires erupted in Minnesota and in southern Canada over recent days, including a handful of major blazes on both sides of the international border. More than 30,000 acres have been scorched in northern Minnesota since the weekend. Along with charred forests, twelve dozen structures were razed in the flames.

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As a third straight day of record heat in the 90s punished the area Tuesday, firefighters in Minnesota battled several uncontained and significant blazes. The handful of larger fires are among the roughly 80 wildfires that have required firefighting efforts during a multiday run of red-flag fire conditions in the state. “It’s been a challenging several days,” Patty Thielen, director of forestry for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said during a news conference with Walz on Tuesday. “I’ve worked for DNR forestry for nearly 30 years, and the weather the last few days is really unprecedented.”

The largest fires in Minnesota are the Camp House at 11,778 acres, Jenkins Creek at 20,593 acres and Munger Shaw at 1,300 acres, all burning in St Louis County, about 25 to 45 miles north of Duluth.

Abundant dry fuels, unseasonably hot weather, strong winds and increasing levels of drought are heavily to blame. Extreme fire behavior was reported Tuesday on the Jenkins Creek fire as gusty winds drove it rapidly southward several miles. Both that and the Camp House fire are burning in area impacted by budworm-killed timber, which is described as a primary driver of fire behavior.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025/05/14/minnesota-wildfires-canada-hot-dry-fuel/