Gov. Walz extends peacetime emergency as wildfires rage on in northern Minnesota

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state leaders moved Wednesday to extend a peacetime emergency for 30 days amid raging wildfires up north, with experts warning that some fires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wildnerness may continue to burn until snow arrives later this year. 

Walz and other members of the state's Executive Council — including Attorney General Keith Ellison, Secretary of State Steve Simon and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan — gathered at the State Emergency Operations Center in Blaine Wednesday morning to hear from heads of the Departments of Natural Resources and Public Safety.

The experts say not only is the time of year unusual for these wildfires, the cause is, too. They're blaming lightning storms earlier this month, leading to widespread evacuations and Wednesday's rescue missions.

"We had well over 1,000 lightning strikes within the forest, within the Boundary Waters," said Phil Manuel, an incident meteorologist on the ground in Ely with the National Weather Service.

Since the storms on July 6, there has been high heat, dry air and no rain. 

"It takes rain with a name to put out big fires," Manuel said.

DNR Forestry Division Director Patty Thielen says the severity and timing of these fires is a new challenge. 

"Over the last five or six years, we've begun to have more fires throughout more months of the year," Thielen said. "To have this amount of work this much of the year, it gets to be stressful and it's hard to ensure we have enough resources trained up to the levels that we need them to handle leadership positions in fire suppression."

That stress led Walz and the executive team to extend his emergency order by 30 days, providing additional resources to first responders. The governor's original declaration directed additional resources, including the Minnesota National Guard, to assist in battling the wildfires until Aug. 11. The 30-day extension will now begin on Aug. 12.  

Minnesota teenagers rescued by Royal Canadian Air Force

Walz also announced Wednesday that members of the Royal Canadian Air Force successfully evacuated 11 Minnesota teenagers and four staff members from wildfires north of the border.  

Officials with YMCA of the North say they were split into two groups led by Project Success, a member of its Mission Impact Council, and both have exited Wabakimi Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, and on their way back to Minnesota. The park is about 175 miles north of the Minnesota border.

One group was evacuated overnight by plane Wednesday, and the other group was "evacuated by helicopter in coordination with Canadian authorities," the YMCA says, adding that the campers, ranging in age from 16 to 18, "have progressed through our wilderness program" and are led by "highly-trained guides." 

Walz applauded the quick efforts of Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the Canadian military in the rescues.

"The news couldn't have been better this morning," Walz said.

Nearly 20 active wildfires in Superior National Forest

In recent days, fires have burned thousands of acres in Superior National Forest, prompting evacuations of nearby communities and closures of BWCAW entry points. Canoe teams still sweeping the area to ensure everyone is evacuated. 

As of Wednesday morning, there were 17 active wildfires in Superior National Forest, with three inside the Boundary Waters, according to the Minnesota Incident Command System.

The fire management officer with the Superior National Forest estimates there are at least 400 firefighters on the ground right now. 

"We expect to be at these fires for quite some time. We are not seeing relief in the weather, unfortunately, and we are dry across the state," said DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen.

The sheriffs of Lake and St. Louis counties are asking neighbors to be prepared to evacuate and to listen to local orders given the concern that fires could spread to residential areas. 

Much of Minnesota is also under an air quality alert through Friday as smoke from these wildfires and those in Canada gets pushed south. The state is also dealing with dangerous heat, with high temperatures in the 90s and the heat index approaching 100. An extreme heat warning is in place through Friday evening, and WCCO has extended its NEXT Weather Alert through Friday.