Local News | Zeke Fuhrman

One Dead, Two Injured in Separate Outdoor Fires in Minnesota Amid Elevated Fire Risk

An Ambulance Responds To The Scene Of An Emergency.
An ambulance responds to the scene of an emergency.

A woman is dead and two others were hospitalized following two separate outdoor fires in Minnesota on Sunday, as dry conditions continue to raise wildfire concerns across the state.

The first incident happened just after noon in Crow Wing Township, about ten miles south of Brainerd. According to the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, emergency crews responded to a field fire on the 6400 block of Wetherbee Road, where they found the homeowner—identified as a 65-year-old woman—dead near a lawn mower.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Brainerd Fire Department worked together to extinguish the fire. No structures were damaged.

Later that afternoon, a second fire broke out in northern Minnesota at the Lakeland Mobile Home Park in Biwabik Township, shortly before 5 p.m.

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office says two people were taken to the hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. Investigators say the fire started when someone burning grass lost control of the flames, which spread under a nearby mobile home. Fire crews quickly contained the blaze, and damage to the home was minimal.

These incidents come as dry conditions persist across much of Minnesota. As of Monday, a Red Flag Warning is in effect for eight counties: Clay, Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, and Roseau. The warning signals high fire danger due to low humidity and gusty winds.

Authorities urge residents to use extreme caution with any open burning.