Perham and Dent firefighters recall overnight battle in Flanders Fire response

Perham and Dent firefighters were among the crews that spent the night fighting the Flanders Fire in Crow Wing County, a fast-moving blaze near Flanders Lake that forced evacuations and pulled seven area fire departments into an all-hands response.

Fire departments were paged out at 12:37 p.m. Saturday, May 16, 2026, after the wildfire was reported in Mission Township about 10 miles east of Breezy Point and east of Crosslake. Under critical fire weather conditions and a red-flag warning, the fire jumped County Highway 11 and the Little Pine River, sending a large smoke plume over the area as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and local crews worked to contain it.

The overnight fight stretched into the next day. By Sunday evening, May 18, the fire was estimated at 1,666 acres and 20% contained, with a small night shift of engines and firefighters still on scene. The Crosslake Community Center served as an overnight shelter for evacuees, offering meals, snacks, drinks and accommodations for pets as residents waited to learn whether the fire would move any closer.

By Tuesday, May 21, Crow Wing County said the fire had reached 1,712 acres and was 100% contained. No one was injured and no homes were lost, though some secondary structures were destroyed. The DNR said it located the fire’s origin near the north shore of Flanders Lake, and the cause remained under investigation.

For Perham Fire and Rescue, the call was a reminder of how quickly Otter Tail County crews can be pulled far outside their home area when conditions turn dangerous. The department covers 164 square miles, including Perham, Richville, Corliss, Gorman, Perham Township and parts of Pine Lake and Rush Lake townships. Perham city records also show a mutual-aid agreement approved in July 2007 with 17 Otter Tail County departments, a framework that puts local crews into the same regional system that answered the Flanders Fire.

After containment, Crow Wing County Public Health and Emergency Management began preliminary home visits in the former evacuation zone and warned residents to watch for contractor cleanup scams. For firefighters from Perham and Dent, the overnight deployment showed both the reach of that mutual-aid network and the strain it places on smaller departments when a wildfire moves fast across dry ground and heavy wind.