National Guard mobilized as wildfires threaten Lake County, Boundary Waters

Gov. Tim Walz mobilized the Minnesota National Guard on July 12 to reinforce wildfire crews in northern Minnesota, where at least 17 fires were burning and more than 8,000 acres had already burned. The move came as unusually dry conditions and lightning strikes raised the fire danger across northeastern Minnesota, pushing Lake County into the center of an emergency response that stretched from the Boundary Waters to the Canadian border.

For Lake County, the immediate change was on the ground in Babbitt. Lake County Emergency Management opened a temporary evacuation point at the Babbitt Municipal Center on July 14, then scheduled it to close at 9:00 p.m. that night and reopen at 8:00 a.m. on July 15. At least 17 people were air-evacuated from the Boundary Waters area as the fire spread quickly through forested country used by hikers, paddlers and campers.

Access to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness shut down beginning July 14. Forest closure orders canceled permits and closed entry points, cutting off public access to one of Minnesota’s most heavily visited wilderness areas as crews worked to slow the fires and keep people out of danger.

The scale of the response grew as the fires kept spreading. By July 15, the burned area had reached 55,000 acres, and at least 17 fires were still burning near the border. Minnesota leaders then unanimously voted to extend the peacetime emergency for another 30 days, keeping the National Guard in northern Minnesota as crews continued battling flames in a region where wind, dry fuels and lightning can turn a hot spot into a fast-moving fire.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources added enhanced burning restrictions beginning July 21.