Red Flag Warning Issued for Multiple Counties in Minnesota

MINNESOTA - (Valley News Live) - The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for several counties in northern and central Minnesota, alerting residents to extreme fire risk conditions. The warning will be in effect from Sunday, May 28, at noon until 9 p.m.

The affected counties include Becker, Beltrami, Big Stone, Cass, Chippewa, Clay, Clearwater, Cook, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac Qui Parle, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Roseau, St Louis County, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wadena, Wilkin, and Yellow Medicine.

During a Red Flag Warning, fires have the potential to rapidly spread and escalate beyond control, primarily due to low humidity, high winds, and warm temperatures. Officials advise residents in the affected counties to refrain from burning and to thoroughly extinguish any recent fires.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will not be granting or activating open burning permits while the Red Flag Warning is in effect. In addition, campfires are discouraged as a safety measure.

“All it takes is a single spark to ignite a devastating wildfire under these Red Flag conditions,” warned Allissa Reynolds, the DNR’s wildfire prevention supervisor.

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