20-plus wildfires currently active in Minnesota's Superior National Forest, officials say

Minnesota officials said Monday in a news conference in Ely that nearly 25 wildfires are active in the Superior National Forest, with three detected on Sunday alone.

Officials with agencies including the Superior National Forest, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the National Weather Service, said around 63,000 acres have burned so far. They believe the likely culprit behind most of the fires is lightning, and the current weather isn't helping much.  

"Mother Nature's not done with us yet," said Nick Petrack, forest fire management officer for the Superior and Chippewa National Forests. "We are prepared if she throws a bunch more lightning at us. We'll do everything we can to minimize the impact to the public and our firefighters."

More than 780 firefighters and pilots from across the U.S. and Canada have converged in the area, with officials assessing conditions on a day-to-day basis. Crews are focused on fighting flames, but also figuring out how to protect homes, buildings and a power plant in those areas.

Kari Fleegel, incident meteorologist with the National Weather Service, say it's so dry that just one spark could ignite a catastrophic wildfire.  

"We have the wind to deal with. We have not had that wind over the last week, week and a half, but we have had a little bit of moisture, so beneficial moisture, but we increased the wind," Fleegel said.

Shane Sturgill, section chief of the Southern Area Complex Incident Management Team Operations, said most of the fires are raging north of the Echo Trail. He's urging area residents and business owners in communities where he thinks flames will spread "to have a plan in place."

"Think about what you would want to take if you have to evacuate," Sturgill said 

Officials say the entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will remain closed until at least Friday, with a handful of fires active in its boundaries.    

Burn restrictions are in effect across the state. Campfires and recreational fires are now banned in Cook, Koochiching, Lake and northern St. Louis counties, and parts of Itasca County. Parts of George Washington State Forest and Scenic State Park that extend into Itasca County are also under burn restrictions.

Officials are urging the public not to fly drones or planes in wildfire-impacted areas as it can make it even tougher for firefighters to do their jobs. And they're encouraging community members to feel free in asking firefighters any questions when appropriate, adding they have a lot of knowledge of what's going on and want to keep everyone safe.

Gov. Tim Walz earlier this week extended a peacetime emergency through mid-September. The order directs additional resources to fight the fires, including the Minnesota National Guard.