Wildfire reported Monday evening near Barnum
Sep. 5—BARNUM TOWNSHIP — Firefighters from multiple agencies battled a wildfire Monday evening that grew to more than 40 acres under record warm and very dry conditions. No injuries were reported.
The fire, on the 4400 block of County Road 11, was originally reported at 5:45 p.m. as 1 acre, but grew quickly and spread close to houses, according to a news release from the Carlton County Sheriff's Office.
Winds in Cloquet at the time of the fire gusted to 20 mph briefly, but then calmed as the evening progressed. Temperatures had risen into the 90s for three straight days with no significant rain.
A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources helicopter dropped water on the fire while crews from the DNR, Barnum, Blackhoof, Moose Lake, Mahtowa and Kettle River fire departments battled the blaze on the ground. Nearby residents were notified as the firefighting effort was underway.
No structures were destroyed.
Officials said the fire was contained Monday night with Carlton County Sheriff's Office personnel monitoring the fire overnight. Crews were expected to return to the fire to finish snuffing the blaze Tuesday.
Much of northern Minnesota remains locked in the second severe to extreme drought in three years, including Carlton County, with parts of Douglas and Bayfield counties in Wisconsin listed as exceptional drought, the driest category used.
Significant rain was expected to fall later Monday and Tuesday in some areas, but it will take 6-12 inches across the region to alleviate the drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
