Camp House Fire. Photo courtesy of Inciweb Wildfire

By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - May 13, 2025


Another hot, dry day has provided little relief for firefighters in Lake and St. Louis Counties. 

In a social media post, the Minnesota Incident Command System shared that since Sunday, firefighters have responded to approximately 80 wildfires throughout Minnesota. Three wildfires began in St. Louis County on Sunday and Monday and continue to burn and spread into Lake County. 

An update on the three main wildfires burning in NE Minnesota can be found below. 

The following map shows the evacuation areas surrounding each of the three large fires. The widespread red color is the Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service. 

The red color within the fire areas represents the evacuation orders in place. The orange represents the evacuation warnings, and the green represents the evacuation advisories. 

Camp House Fire Updates

• 200 people are assigned to the fire, up from 41 this morning. 
• St. Louis County Public Health and the American Red Cross have opened a shelter at the Fredenberg Community Center 
• Evacuation warnings, orders, and advisories have continued to roll in throughout the day
• Crews are battling erratic fire behavior 
• Over 140 structures have been lost to this fire 
• Fire is approximately 12,000 acres in size (11,778 acres) and is 0% contained
• The fire has jumped Highway 44 near Brimson-Toimi Road

 Highway 44 and Brimson-Toimi Road. Image via Google Maps.

Jensens Creek Fire

• Extreme fire behavior has been observed over the last 12 hours with wind-driven runs, especially in areas of spruce budworm-affected forest
• The fire is still at 6,800 acres, with 0% containment
• Evacuation warnings and orders have continued to roll in throughout the day

 Fire suppression efforts at the Jensens Creek Fire. Photo courtesy of Inciweb Wildfire

Munger Shaw Fire

• Additional resources were requested earlier in the day due to increased fire activity
• The fire is now 1,600 acres (up from 1,300 this morning) and 0% contained 
• There are several aircraft working on firefighting efforts 
• New evacuation orders, warnings, and advisories are now in place

Evacuation alerts due to the Munger Shaw Fire. Image courtesy of the St. Louis County evacuation map. Red means "evacuate immediately," orange means prepare to leave at a moment's notice, and yellow means get everything ready to go. 

General updates

• The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended the Air Quality Alert for northern Lake and Cook Counties and Grand Portage until Wednesday, May 14, at 4 p.m.
  
  
• A Minnesota Incident Command System (MNICS) Team has been assigned to help manage the Camp House and Jensens Creek Fires. As of Wednesday, the Eastern Area Complex Incident Command Team will take over as site managers. The Eastern Area Team has greater access to regional and national firefighting resources. It consists of people from the US Department of the Interior (USDI) Bureau of Indian Affairs, USDI Bureau of Land Management, USDI National Park Service, USDI Fish & Wildlife Service, and USDA Forest Service.
  
  
• The National Weather Service in Duluth has issued a special weather statement for portions of Cook and Lake Counties regarding near-critical fire weather conditions through Wednesday, May 14. Thunderstorms may move into the area on Wednesday evening. 
  
  
• The public is asked to avoid the area for their safety and the safety of fire personnel. Drones are not allowed near any of the fire areas. 
  
  
• An emergency forest service closure has been issued in the Brimson area. The closure includes several campgrounds, boat launches, trailheads, and more. Learn more here or see the map below. 

 Image: USFS

Boreal Community Media will continue to provide updates on these fires as information is available.