Saint Louis County, Minnesota — According to a Saturday update from the Eastern Area Complex Incident Management Team, crews have made significant progress in putting out two wildfires that erupted in northern Minnesota earlier this month.
According to officials, the Camp House Fire in Brimson and the Jenkins Creek Fire, which is burning in a remote area south of Babbitt, are now 90% and 70% contained, respectively. With improved weather conditions, the Jensen Creek Fire increased from 32% containment on Thursday.
“On Friday, handcrews worked around the fire’s perimeter, looking for hotspots (areas that still had heat or were smoldering) and extinguishing them. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) remained particularly useful in locating hotspots,” according to the statement about the Jenkins Creek Fire, which had reportedly consumed 16,089 acres as of Saturday.
Officials said firefighters fighting the Camp House Fire, which has burned just under 12,100 acres so far, took advantage of lower winds in recent days, paving the way for “excellent progress securing the line.”
According to the statement, crews will continue working through the holiday weekend, clearing debris that could fuel future wildfires and patrolling the containment lines for hotspots.
As conditions improve, officials said some resources will be reassigned to a “initial attack” group, which will respond quickly to any new fires that may ignite.
While some evacuation orders have been lifted in St. Louis and Lake counties, officials say some roads remain closed to through traffic.
