Lake County secures $350,000 for wildfire recovery programs

Lake County’s wildfire recovery will move through two local channels after state lawmakers secured $350,000 for people hit by the Stewart Trail Fire and the Brimson Complex fires. The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board approved the money at its May 27 meeting in Eveleth, setting aside $250,000 for the Brimson Wildfire Economic Relief Program and $100,000 for the North Shore Stewart Trail Wildfire Economic Relief Program.

The Stewart Trail money is tied to the fire that began Friday, May 15, near Two Harbors after a downed power line sparked the blaze. It burned 354.6 acres and destroyed 34 structures, including eight primary structures and 26 outbuildings. A later statewide report said the fire damaged more than 30 buildings, including eight homes or cabins. Evacuation orders and road closures were lifted May 19, when the fire was reported 100% contained, and Lake County scheduled a community outreach event for property owners on May 28 to discuss damage to homes, structures, septic systems and burned or damaged trees.

The Brimson share reflects a larger emergency that unfolded in 2025, when the Camp House Fire began May 11 about two miles northeast of Brimson and was later combined with the Jenkins Creek fire under the Brimson Complex name. By mid-May 2025, the complex had burned about 58 square miles of forest and prompted evacuation advisories for more than 100 homes. Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency that month, bringing state agencies deeper into response and recovery work across northeastern Minnesota.

Northland lawmakers Grant Hauschild, Roger Skraba and Natalie Zeleznikar pushed the request through the IRRRB, arguing that the damage reached well beyond charred acreage. The loss touched families, first responders, small businesses, tourism, local nonprofits and the emergency systems that had to absorb weeks of pressure. Zeleznikar said the fires placed enormous pressure on communities, first responders, small businesses and families, while Skraba said the money would provide much-needed relief and help local residents recover. Two Harbors Mayor Lew Conner said he felt gratitude that lawmakers and the agency moved quickly to support those affected.

The aid is not a full rebuild for either fire zone, but it does give Lake County and Brimson-area communities a direct state funding stream for the slower work that follows evacuation and containment. Because the programs run through the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency and the Lake County HRA/EDA, the money should reach local recovery efforts without waiting on another round of state action.