DNR warns of wildfire risk, bear conflicts in Beltrami County

Campfires, debris burning and unsecured food are the fastest ways to turn a normal day outdoors into an emergency in Beltrami County this spring. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is warning residents to treat wildfire risk and bear conflicts as linked problems, especially after South Beltrami County, including Bemidji, was placed under spring burning restrictions and north-central Minnesota saw repeated fire weather alerts.

The DNR says its fire-danger and burning-restrictions maps are updated daily and refreshed automatically every five minutes. Fire danger can range from Low to Extreme, and the agency describes Extreme as explosive and capable of causing extensive property damage. Escaped debris fires remain the No. 1 cause of wildfires in Minnesota, and a permit is required to burn debris. The message is especially relevant in Beltrami County, where the National Weather Service issued a near-critical fire weather alert on April 21 for North Beltrami and South Beltrami counties, citing minimum relative humidity of 15% to 20%. On May 15, the weather service followed with a Red Flag Warning for 54 Minnesota counties as fire danger climbed again.

For campers and cabin owners, the practical change is to stop treating ashes, brush piles and food waste as harmless leftovers. The DNR says people should check burn restrictions before lighting anything, avoid burning debris without a permit, and assume that dry grass and wind can carry a small mistake much farther than expected. In backyard settings, that means keeping grills clean, securing trash and never leaving food scraps in fire rings or open cans where bears and other wildlife can find them.

The bear warning carries the same message: small habits prevent larger problems. The DNR’s BearWise guidance urges people to stay alert, keep children close, leave no trash or food scraps, double-bag food, leash dogs and carry bear spray. It also warns against burning food scraps or trash in fire rings or grills, because odors can draw bears into campsites, cabins and neighborhoods. Bears usually avoid people, but the agency says conflicts happen when animals are surprised or rewarded with food.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources bear project leader Andrew Tri has said coexistence with bears is doable if people take a few simple precautions. In Beltrami County, that now means one routine set of habits: clear away food, lock up attractants, leash dogs, check the fire danger map before burning and assume dry conditions can turn a careless afternoon into a wildfire call.