Fire breaks out on Renaissance Festival grounds; multiple buildings destroyed
Multiple buildings are destroyed after a fire broke out on the Minnesota Renaissance Festival grounds on Thursday, according to authorities.
The Shakopee Fire Department said crews from approximately 12 fire departments responded to the outdoor fire, which was reported around 6 p.m.
A lack of water supply in the area created difficult conditions for firefighters and multiple buildings were impacted, according to the department.
KARE 11 reports a dozen storefronts were destroyed. They were located in five structures that were connected by wood.
According to fire officials, there were no injuries reported and the fire was mostly extinguished by 8 p.m.
The cause of the fire hasn't been revealed, but there is speculation that it could've been the result of lightning.
Bring Me The News has reached out to the festival's operator, Mid-America Festivals, for more information.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Storm track sets up over Minnesota with more active weather ahead
Storm track sets up over Minnesota with more active weather ahead originally appeared on Bring Me The News. It could turn into a sloppy week in the southern half of Minnesota as multiple soaking storm systems are set to move through the region. The first shot of heavy rain — and perhaps strong storms — comes Wednesday, followed by another system on Thursday-Friday. "After a cool start to the week, temperatures warm up briefly before we get into a stretch of more active weather. Heavy rain is possible Wednesday into Friday, especially across southern MN," says National Weather Service in the Twin Cities. For Wednesday, the heaviest rain looks to be from areas on a line just south of the Twin Cities down to the Iowa border. The severe threat, however, looks for now like it'll be refined to the Minnesota-Iowa border and areas further south. The NAM and European models agree that the most unstable, juiciest environment for strong or severe storms will be in Iowa. The second wave of heavy rain looks again likely to target the southern half of Minnesota, though what happens Thursday into Friday could change with any wobble north or south of the stalled frontal boundary that is serving as a highway for precipitation to travel along. Here's how the European model has the precipitation playing out Wednesday-Friday. By Saturday morning, 1-2+ inches of rain could have fallen in southern Minnesota. June, by the way, is typically the most active severe weather month of the year in Minnesota. There hasn't been a lot so far, but that could be changing as the active pattern starts this week and continues into next week. Northern Illinois University's Extended Range Dynamical Environment Forecasts, which focus on predicting severe weather events in the future, is offering a signal for an increase in severe storm potential next week over Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. We'll see what happens, but things could get more interesting in mid-June. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Yahoo
Sven Sundgaard: Don't get used to the cooldown — heat and smoke could follow
Sven Sundgaard: Don't get used to the cooldown — heat and smoke could follow originally appeared on Bring Me The News. We really seem to be in a back-and-forth of one week of cooler, wetter weather in the central U.S., and then another week of hotter, drier weather, as the battle between spring and summer continues. The next several days will be marked by a cool upper-level low/trough pattern in the north-central U.S., making for slightly cooler-than-normal temperatures and unsettled, showery weather. The cool front that swept into much of the northern and central U.S. Monday night is still evident — stalled out across the central U.S. Thursday — just by looking at the dew points: The moisture sufficient for any real severe storms (dew points of 60 degrees +) will be confined to the southern half of the country mostly into the weekend. That means severe weather outlooks remain mostly in the central and southern Plains and the Southeast. Portions of northern Texas and Oklahoma have 'slight risks' of severe thunderstorms each of the next four days. But wait, there's more! The pattern shifts again in the middle of next week into next weekend (June 14–15), as another upper-level ridge of heat and high pressure brings relatively dry weather and above-normal temperatures to the central U.S., while the coasts again see cooler, wetter weather. The other thing many northern states are contending with is Canadian wildfire smoke. Thursday, it's affecting the Chicago and Detroit areas after setting records in Minnesota Tuesday. Air quality is unhealthy (red category) for both cities Thursday. That Canadian wildfire smoke has drifted all the way to Europe — in the upper levels of the atmosphere over the U.K. and France now. Unfortunately, with the number of fires and hot, dry conditions in central and western Canada, this will likely be something most northern states have to deal with on and off all summer. Most medium- to longer-range models keep much of central Canada warmer and drier than normal. It will take a sustained cool, wet period to put out most of those story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Yahoo
Wildfire smoke engulfs the Twin Cities and rain isn't helping
Wildfire smoke engulfs the Twin Cities and rain isn't helping originally appeared on Bring Me The News. The worst air quality in Minnesota Tuesday morning is in the Twin Cities metro area. Not even the morning rain is enough to prevent thick, near-surface smoke from reaching a "very unhealthy" level. It literally smells like campfire in the Twin Cities. Why isn't the rain helping clear out the smoke? According to the National Weather Service, the smoke is arriving behind the cold front that is delivering the rain, so the smoke "filters right back down." Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters The purple on the map below represents the areas experiencing "very unhealthy" air quality, which is level five of six on the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale. With an AQI in the purple zone, people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teenagers are advised to avoid physical activities outdoors. Everyone else is urged to avoid strenuous outdoor activities, limit time outside and consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them. The awful air quality is due to heavy smoke from wildfires in Canada that continue burning out of control. And the smoke is going to stick around all day Tuesday, The HRRR forecasting model shows where near-surface smoke could be heaviest between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Take a look: "The front will continue to slowly move from northwest to southeast throughout the day on Tuesday, with smoke impacts eventually becoming statewide," the MPCA and NWS say. The air quality alert is in effect until noon Wednesday, at which point Minnesota is forecast to enjoy a beautiful day with clear, smoke-free skies with high temps in the 70s. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.