Lake County issues evacuation order as wildfires burn in northern Minnesota
Wildfires raging in northern Minnesota prompted evacuation orders Tuesday morning for some residents of Lake County.
The sheriff's office issued the order for the Fernberg Road Corridor, which includes all adjoining roads and trails from Lake One and Snowbank Lake to the Garden Lake Bridge, outside of Winton.
A temporary evacuation point has been established at the Babbit Municipal Building. The sheriff's office is urging residents to stay alert and bring important documents, medications, credit cards and pets.
As of early Tuesday, there are 16 wildfires burning in the Superior National Forest, four of which are inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Crews are working to suppress the flames, while aircraft are dropping water on some of the larger fires.
The largest, called the Thumb Fire, was caused by a lightning strike and grew to an estimated 6,500 acres by Monday. U.S. Forest Service staff said they expect the fire to burn in some form until it starts to snow.
On Monday the forest service closed all entry points to the Boundary Waters because of the wildfires, canceling reservations and permits through Friday. Though they said they're trying to reopen entry points as quickly as they can, officials expect parts of the area to be closed for the remainder of the season.
Crews of two people are going campsite to campsite through the Boundary Waters to ensure that visitors are evacuating, the forest service said.
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said late Monday that several people had to be rescued because they were in line of the Camp Fire, about 8 miles northeast of the Cloquet Line near Ely.
Conditions will continue to be sunny and hot on Tuesday, as temperatures are expected to reach 100 degrees, and winds will increase to about 16 mph in the afternoon.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning from noon until 9 p.m. for Cook, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis counties.
Note: The above video first aired on July 13, 2026.
