Near-critical fire weather warning issued for South Beltrami County, surrounding areas

South Beltrami County and nearby communities spent Thursday under a near-critical fire weather warning as dry air and gusty south to southwest winds raised the risk that a single spark could spread fast before evening.

The National Weather Service said near-critical fire weather conditions were expected from noon through 8 p.m. CDT, with relative humidity dropping to 25% to 30% and wind gusts reaching 30 mph. The alert covered South Beltrami County along with parts of west central and north central Minnesota, including Bemidji, Mahnomen, Park Rapids, Detroit Lakes and Wadena.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also had a Red Flag Warning in effect from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for 18 counties in southwest and west central Minnesota. During that window, the agency said residents should not burn, should make sure any previous fire was completely out, and should avoid activities that could spark a wildfire.

Karen Harrison, a DNR wildfire prevention specialist, warned that the risk leaves little room for error: “When fire risk is this high, it’s important to be careful with anything could spark a wildfire.” The DNR said it would not issue or activate open burning permits for large vegetative debris burning while the warning remained in place.

The danger is not theoretical. The DNR says escaped debris fires are the No. 1 cause of wildfires in Minnesota, and its fire-danger scale says “Extreme” means the fire situation is explosive and can result in extensive property damage. On a day like Thursday, that means brush piles, burn barrels, lawn equipment, hot exhaust, and any careless spark can become the start of a fast-moving fire.

Beltrami County was already asking residents to pay close attention to emergency alerts. The county said it would take part in two statewide tornado drills Thursday, at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., and reminded residents that outdoor warning sirens are used for tornado warnings, destructive severe thunderstorms with winds greater than 70 mph, or other life-threatening weather conditions. The county also said it was replacing CodeRED with the Everbridge emergency notification system in 2026.

Residents seeking current fire-risk and burning-restriction updates can text FIRE to 66468.