Saturday latest on the Jenkins Creek, Camp House and Munger Shaw wildfires
Higher humidity, cooler temperatures and spotty rain showers could be helpful in the ongoing efforts to contain the large wildfires in northeastern Minnesota.
On Friday, strong winds prompted no-fly zones in the area, so all of the firefighting was done on the ground. Despite the efforts being limited to a ground attack on Friday, the fires didn't grow very much and containment is expected to rise in the coming days.
'Because of all those fire crews in there and the boots on the ground, we expect to show some containment on the fire tomorrow,' Micah Bell of the incident command team told Northern News Now. 'So that zero percent that everybody is really worrying about, that numbers going to go up in the next 24 hours.'
Residents in the evacuation zones of the Jenkins Creek and Camp House fires will be allowed to check their property between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Here's the latest on the Jenkins Creek, Camp House, and Munger Shaw fires.
The largest of the fires, it has grown slightly to 16,281 acres and it remains zero percent contained. Here's the latest from the Minnesota Incident Command.
Recent rains brought a reprieve from much of the active fire. Hot Shot crews are targeting smoldering areas. Protection of the Skibo and Hoyt Lakes communities remains a priority operational objective. Firefighters and dozer operators are extending fire containment lines along the northwest edge and southern anchor point of the fire, and prepping protection measures for values-at-risk in anticipation of warmer, drier air and windy conditions arriving mid-week. There was no reported fire spread yesterday; the acreage listed above reflects more accurate mapping of the fire perimeter.
A total of 90 firefighters are working on the fire, the cause of which remains under investigation.
A total of 14,805 acres have burned. Here's the latest from officials.
Dozer crews advanced containment lines on the south end and west side of the fire and will implement direct attacks on those areas as conditions permit. A concerted effort has been made to protect the communications tower east of Bassett Lake. Dead and distressed balsam and aspen and downed power lines pose significant hazards for firefighters. Hot Shot crews are targeting areas that are still smoldering. This fire has not grown in the past three days. The smaller reported acreage is the result of improved mapping. Additional aircraft will be supporting operations today if weather conditions remain favorable for flight.
A total of 278 personnel are working on the fire. The cause is under investigation.
This fire has burned 1,600 acres, according to a Saturday update. It is 50 percent contained and the "Go" evacuation order has been lifted.
The latest from officials:
The Munger Shaw Fire is now 50% contained. Today, crews will continue to patrol the fire's edge and mop up linger hotspots, like smoldering stumps, to help secure containment. This involves firefighters searching for smoke and cooling heat pockets of unburned fuel with water and stirring the embers. Specialized teams of sawyers who work with chainsaws are falling trees that pose safety hazards for firefighters.
The weather should cooperate with firefighting efforts this weekend. In fact, frost and sub-32-degree temperatures are possible.
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