The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for much of Minnesota until 8 p.m. Monday, covering 66 counties as strong winds, high gusts and low humidity combined to raise the risk of fast-moving fire.
Officials urged residents not to burn in the warned counties and to check any recent burning to make sure fires were completely out. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also said it would not issue or activate open burning permits for large vegetative debris burning in those counties, and campfires were discouraged.
The warning came as the DNR expanded spring burning restrictions across the state while warm, dry weather spread. As of 8 a.m. Monday, additional counties under restrictions included Becker, Beltrami North, Carlton, Clearwater, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Pennington, Polk, Red Lake, Roseau and St. Louis, while restrictions remained in place in Aitkin, Anoka, Beltrami South, Benton, Cass, Chisago, Clay, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hennepin, Hubbard, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Norman, Otter Tail, Pine, Pope, Ramsey, Sherburne, Stearns, Stevens, Todd, Traverse, Wadena, Washington, Wilkin and Wright counties.
The caution was not theoretical. The DNR says escaped fire from burning vegetative debris is the number one cause of wildfires in Minnesota, and Karen Harrison warned that embers can be carried for over a mile in high winds like those expected Monday. Residents with any recent burn piles were being told to check them again, because a fire that looks dead can still spread when wind and dry air pick up.
The restrictions mean the DNR will not issue permits for the open burning of brush or yard waste in those counties until the limits are lifted, and the warning made clear that the hazard is immediate rather than seasonal background noise. For residents trying to burn debris, the answer today is no: wait until conditions improve, or the next spark could travel farther than anyone expects.
For readers tracking changing fire weather elsewhere, Denver Weather: red flag warning gives way to snow, freeze watch Friday offers a sharp contrast to Minnesota’s dry, windy setup.
