Update: Wednesday 8:50 a.m.
(AP) Evacuees have returned to their homes in a small northwestern Minnesota town after fire crews contained a rapidly-spreading wildfire fueled by brisk winds.
State fire marshal Bruce Roed said Wednesday the fire is 95 percent contained and has not grown since Tuesday night when about 400 people returned to their homes in the Kittson County town of Karlstad.
The wildfire earlier burned about 12 square miles and destroyed six to eight homes in the Karlstad area. Authorities evacuated Karlstad's nursing home, school, assisted living center and a group home as the fire blanketed the community in thick smoke.
City Clerk Sue Dufault says people were evacuated to Hallock, about 20 miles to the northwest.
Roed says the possibility of 6 inches of snow Wednesday night and Thursday morning is welcome news to firefighters.
Update: Wednesday 6:30 a.m.
The Valley Today's John Trierweiler reports this morning that a firefighter was hurt fighting the wildfire that threatened Karlstad, Minnesota. He was out on the fire lines when he started suffering from heat exhaustion. The firefighter was taken to the hospital for treatment, then sent home.
The regional CEO for the American Red Cross, Randy Johnson, said two teams-- one from East Grand Forks, another from Fargo-- are in place for the Karlstad fire. Johnson says the first two groups were dispatched around 5 p.m. Tuesday to provide food and water for victims and firefighters.
The Red Cross then got a call to set up a shelter in Hallock for Karlstad evacuees. They were ready for overnight guests, but closed down around 11 p.m. because no one showed up for help. Johnson says Red Cross workers will remain in the Karlstad area at least for today to provide food, water, mental health help and emergency funds for people impacted by the wildfires.
Update: Wednesday 3:30 a.m.
New information this morning on the wildfire in northwestern Minnesota: The latest tally from the Karlstad fire command post is that 9,800 acres have burned total between 8 fires in northwestern Minnesota. The Karlstad fire alone has burned 4,2720 acres, but it is under control and the situation is considered "stable."
Commander Orlin Anderson says they know for sure that they lost seven homes, two garages, a warehouse and numerous out buildings, and they expect to find more damage once crews have a chance to survey the fire area.
At the peak of the fast-moving fire Tuesday, there were personnel from 16 different fire departments on the scene. Anderson says overnight, 50 people were working the fire lines to keep flames under control, and the DNR was surveying the perimeter.
Much of the city of Karlstad, a town of 760 people, was evacuated Tuesday, and the American Red Cross set up a shelter at Grace Lutheran Church in nearby Hallock, Minnesota.
Original Story
The Minnesota Inter Agency Fire Center said Tuesday afternoon that the city of Karlstad is being evacuated, prompted by the flames coming to within a mile of town.
Two National Guard helicopters may join the fight against a spreading northern Minnesota wildfire, though winds that are driving the wildfire may keep them on the ground.
The fire, in a mixture of woods, peat and grasslands north of Red Lake, covered about 2,250 acres Tuesday afternoon, about twice the size it was Sunday, and only about 10 percent contained, according to fire officials.
The area, which includes parts of Beltrami and Lake of the Woods Counties, is equivalent to just more than 2 square miles. It's one of eight active fires across northwest Minnesota, said Interagency Fire Center spokeswoman Jean Bergerson .
Most are under control; one 500-acre fire near Karlstad was 50 percent contained Tuesday. One fire destroyed an unoccupied farm home near the Canadian border Saturday. No injuries were reported.
Canadian planes and crews helped out on fires over the weekend, Bergerson said.
The North Minnie fire near Red Lake was being driven south Monday by northwest winds. But Tuesday, south winds gusting to 35 miles per hour were pushing the opposite edge of the fire northward, Bergerson said, requiring crews to switch positions. Winds at 40 mph would ground helicopters, but heavier fixed wing craft would still be able to scoop and dump water on the fire.
Bergerson said about 130 people from federal, state and local agencies were working on the fire.
Like much of Minnesota, the northwest region has been extremely dry in recent weeks. Fires have been sparked by ATV exhaust, mowing equipment and even exploding recreational shooting targets, fire officials said.
Fires that burn into peat could burn all winter, Bergerson added.
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