St. Louis County in northeast Minnesota declared a state of local emergency and a state of local disaster on Tuesday as wildfires burned across northern Minnesota and Canada.
The U.S. Forest Service reported at least 17 wildfires burning across St. Louis and Lake Counties, including three in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and said the fires had burned through at least 33,000 acres as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert across much of the state due to wildfire smoke from 9 a.m. on Tuesday through 11 a.m. Friday and said it expected air quality to reach the hazardous category in the northeast corner of the state, advising anyone in the hazardous region to avoid all outdoor activity and remain indoors.
Firefighters and first responders conducted evacuations of visitors and nearby residents, and St. Louis County said it set up temporary evacuation points at a municipal center to serve people from St. Louis and Lake Counties impacted by the fires, with public health staff at the evacuation points to connect people with necessary resources.
The U.S. Forest Service reported Tuesday that two fires in Canada had crossed the international border into the U.S. and said it was coordinating with Canadian authorities to prevent the fire; the Cook County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday night that the Forest Service expected the fire to cross the Canadian border into that county at Monument Portage.
"With the wind direction change, we are receiving a large amount of smoke and ash from this fire along with a number of other fires in Canada," the sheriff said. "This is expected from such large fires."
Authorities are continuing their response efforts as the fires spread.