Northern Minnesota wildfire prompts evacuations near Burntside Lake

Officials ordered residents to evacuate Monday afternoon as crews work to extinguish a wildfire in northern Minnesota.

The U.S. Forest Service says the fire is located in the Superior National Forest northwest of the North Arm of the Burntside Lake area, approximately eight miles northwest of Ely.

The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office said agencies initially responded to the report of black smoke coming from the north side of Birch Bay on Burntside Lake on Monday around 2:56 p.m.

Evacuations were issued in the area of Lindskog Road and the southernmost part of North Arm Road in Morse Township as a precaution, though the order has since been lifted, according to the sheriff's office.

The federal agency said in an update on social media Friday afternoon that the fire was 43% contained and 81 people were working to fight the blaze, which is estimated to be around 35 acres in size.

According to officials, an investigator has determined the fire "likely originated during chainsaw operations associated with fuels reduction and prescribed fire preparation work being conducted by U.S. Forest Service personnel."

Hot engines or sparks from a chainsaw can ignite dry grass, needles or wood-based debris, the federal agency said.

"At the time of the fire's ignition, crews were working within the Geraldine Prescribed Fire project area, conducting chainsaw operations to prepare and maintain control lines for the future prescribed fire," officials said. 

The Geraldine Prescribed Fire unit is part of an effort to reduce forest fuels in the area, according to the federal agency.

As of Monday night, no structures have been lost as a result of the blaze.