‘Unhealthy’ air quality expected in eastern Minnesota through Monday afternoon due to wildfire smoke

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State and federal authorities on Monday offered a mixed bag of hope and grim reality in the battle against wildfires burning across northeastern Minnesota into Canada.

Added rain, more firefighters and a temporary reprieve from skies clogged with heavy smoke have helped crews better pinpoint and attack roughly 25 fires scorching the landscape. At the same, officials continue to caution against complacency and warn this fire season will slog on into the fall.

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“We have a lot of fire on the landscape and we still have a long season ahead of us,” Nick Petrack, fire management officer for the Superior and Chippewa National Forests, told reporters at an early afternoon briefing. “We'll just see what Mother Nature brings to us in August.”

The Echo Trail Corridor near Ely remains a main focus of firefighting efforts as fires move south out of wilderness areas and closer to more populated areas. Crews are also working to protect a hydroelectric plant along the Fernberg Road to the northeast of Ely that provides power to the region.

“The fire is mostly north of Echo Trail, and that’s where we want to keep it,” said Shane Sturgill, the federal official overseeing efforts to put down 15 fires. While crews are doing all they can, Sturgill urged residents to make sure they have a plan in place in case they have to evacuate.

The U.S. Forest Service estimates 63,000 acres burning now in northeastern Minnesota with another 8,400 across the border in Canada. Nearly 800 firefighters are battling blazes, close to double the number from last week. Forest Service officials said three firefighters have sustained minor injuries.

State and federal officials on Monday also told reporters:

Watch: State and federal officials Monday with the latest on NE Minnesota wildfires

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Added rain, more firefighters and a temporary reprieve from skies clogged with heavy smoke have helped crews better pinpoint and attack the fires. But officials continued to caution against complacency as they warned of a fire season that’s expected to slog on into the fall.

More firefighters, more worries as NE Minnesota wildfires burn

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