Minnesota wildfires day 5: Crews watching for risk of spread towards Hoyt Lakes

Yahoo

15-05-2025

A "slow fire movement" day on Wednesday provided some much needed respite for residents of St. Louis County, but authorities continue to monitor potential spread of fires on Thursday, including to the City of Hoyt Lakes.
St. Louis County Sheriff's Gordon Ramsey provided an update on the three major wildfires in the northeast of the state, which have so far burned in excess of 30,000 acres of Superior National Forest.
The main progression on Wednesday came from the Jenkins Creek Wildfire, which remains the largest of the three, and moved to the north and the west over the course of the day.
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The Jenkins Creek fire was estimated at 20,000 acres on Wednesday, though it appears this has been revised down on Thursday to around 15,500 acres.
But responders will be watching Jenkins Creek "closely" again on Thursday, particularly the potential for morning winds to blow it further north and west, making a beeline for Hoyt Lakes, which has a population of just under 2,000.
"While it's a significant distance [away], we're watching closely and the area is on alert. If you live in the area, keep an ear to what's going on, and be prepared in case it does start moving towards you," Ramsey said.
Wednesday was a quieter day for the 15,000-acre Camp House Fire, with Ramsey saying there was a "little progress" southwest towards the Ault Town Hall, as well as into Lake County to the east, but there was otherwise "minimal fire spread," saying it was "definitely one of the slower days since it began on Sunday."
There were evacuations to the southwest, where the 1,700-acre Munger Shaw Road fire is burning, with a "flare up" in the afternoon causing concern over some nearby residences.
"The people who live in that area have been told to evacuate a number of times and then been allowed to go back," Ramsey said. "This was their third evacuation drill ... we appreciate the patience of residents in that area. We would rather err on the side of caution."
Help could be on the way in the form of severe storms that could drop significant amounts of rain in northern Minnesota on Thursday with the system also bringing a cold front that should drop temperatures, but will also bring high winds.