Fire crews battle multiple wildfires across northern Minnesota

Wildfires fueled by fierce winds and dry conditions spread across northern Minnesota over the weekend from the North Shore to the Brainerd Lakes area where residents were forced to evacuate.

Homes were destroyed on Hwy. 61 along Lake Superior. However, no homes were lost to a 1,200-acre blaze in Crow Wing County where Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency and mobilized the National Guard.

"Grateful to all those stepping into harms way to keep their neighbors safe," Walz said in a Sunday social media post while noting all the state and local agencies responding to the fires.

A fire near Two Harbors - the Stewart Trail fire - had burned 355 acres and destroyed 34 structures, including eight homes, by Sunday morning, according to fire officials. The blaze was first detected Friday near Betty's Pies, the well-known restaurant two miles north of Two Harbors. It was 30% contained Saturday night.

Residents between Two Harbors and Castle Danger were evacuated as flames moved through wooded areas filled with cabins, homes and resorts. An approximately 11-mile stretch of Hwy. 61 remained closed Sunday. Drivers were rerouted through a lengthy inland detour.

The Flanders fire near Breezy Point in Crow Wing County was detected Saturday afternoon, resulting in road closures and evacuations. Doug Mitchell of Breezy Point said he watched flames rise "twice as high as the trees" as winds gusted up to 35 mph Saturday.

Aircraft continued dropping water and fire retardant on blazes while local fire departments focused on structure protection.

Jessica Maroto of Hopkins, who was staying at Superior Shores Resort, said people were gathered along the shoreline Friday watching aircraft scoop water from Lake Superior. Thick black smoke would rise after structures caught fire, she said.

"It's heartbreaking for people that maybe have owned places for generations," Maroto said.

The Stewart Trail fire was one of more than a dozen wildfires that erupted across northeastern Minnesota during a weekend of extreme fire danger driven by wind gusts, low humidity and unusually dry conditions.

The Flanders fire was zero percent contained Sunday morning, but Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said in a video update from Crosby that crews "got a good handle on it." He said that there were still some smoldering woodlands, but he hoped residents of the 30 evacuated homes could return soon.

His office ordered evacuations east of E. Horseshoe Lake Road and south of County Road 11.

Kendra Robinson lives on Horseshoe Lake with her husband and three kids. They didn't know there was a wildfire tearing through the state forest nearby until they noticed all the airplanes. They spent Saturday watching the billowing smoke from their beach, praying the wind wouldn't shift.

"If it had been blowing towards us, our house would probably be gone because the fire started maybe 2 miles away," she said. "Every summer, we get smoke from Canada from the wildfires up there, but not in our backyard. … It was crazy. I've never seen anything like that before in my life."

Kara Terry, director of Crow Wing County Community Services, said eight people stayed at Camp Knutson and three stayed at the pet-friendly emergency shelter in the Crosslake Community Center on Saturday night.

She said evacuated residents were feeling grateful and nervous. "But also some fear," Terry said. "Just the unknown. Fires are so unpredictable that what we know to be true now might change in five to 10 minutes."

Along the North Shore, residents and business owners anxiously watched shifting wind conditions Saturday as smoke rose just miles from downtown Two Harbors.

Andrea Oeffling, director of sales and marketing at Castle Danger Brewery, said many visitors in town did not realize a major wildfire was burning nearby because winds pushed smoke away from town. Residents had hoped conditions would hold through Saturday night, which coincided with prom at Two Harbors High School.

"If that wind changes, that fire is going to head right into Two Harbors," Oeffling said.

The Rustic Inn Cafe said in a social media post that two employees lost their homes in the fire.

Tammy Dalbec said her sister, LouAnn Johnson, evacuated her home just north of Betty's Pies with her husband, children and dogs shortly before flames consumed the property. A video later filmed by a friend showed the home fully engulfed, Dalbec said.

As crews battled fires from the air, authorities in St. Louis County were investigating after a small single-engine plane assisting wildfire crews was struck by gunfire Friday evening while scooping water from Kjostad Lake northeast of Orr.

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said the pilot did not realize the aircraft had been hit until landing at the Hibbing airport, where a bullet hole was discovered in the tail. No one was injured, and the plane remained maneuverable.

"It's obviously a very disturbing incident," Ramsay said. "We have a pilot who is already performing dangerous maneuvers, trying to fill a plane with water."

The pilot was working under contract with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which deployed several aircraft and a helicopter to fight fires in Crow Wing County and the North Shore.

Crosslake Mayor Jackson Purfeerst said DNR aircraft scooping water from Pelican Lake played a major role in slowing the fire's spread.

"If we didn't have them helping combat this fire, it would be a lot worse," Purfeerst said.

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for 15 counties in central and northeastern Minnesota over the weekend. Officials warned that strong winds and low humidity could rapidly spread fires.

Forecasters said reduced winds and rain showers expected Sunday afternoon and into the evening could help contain the blazes.

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(Brooks Johnson and Jeffrey Meitrodt of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.)

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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 5:42 PM.