Orr man charged after allegedly shooting at firefighting plane near Kjostad Lake

A firefighting plane taking water from Kjostad Lake was struck during a wildland fire response north of Orr, turning a suppression mission into a felony case and putting a spotlight on how vulnerable aerial firefighting can be during peak fire danger in St. Louis County.

Authorities say Daniel Christian Pettit, of Orr, was charged after the incident near Portage Township, about 15 miles north of Orr. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said deputies, fire crews and two fire suppression aircraft were sent to the blaze around 4 p.m. on May 15, and one of the single-engine Air Tractor planes, working under contract with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, was hit around 7 p.m. while scooping water from Kjostad Lake.

The pilot was not injured and landed safely at Hibbing Airport. Damage was later found when the aircraft was inspected at Range Regional Airport in Hibbing, where an investigator reportedly found holes in the rudder and trim tab that appeared to be caused by a projectile rather than a bird strike or another natural impact. The sheriff’s office asked anyone with information to call 911 and reference case No. 26066433.

Pettit was taken into custody on May 17 at his home in Portage Township outside Orr. The criminal complaint says he faces second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and intentionally discharging a firearm in a way that endangered others. Other reported pending charges include reckless discharge of a firearm and felony criminal damage to property. During the investigation, deputies went to Pettit’s home on Orr Buyck Road, where guns and ammunition were seized under a search warrant.

Investigators said Pettit told them he had been hunting crows with a rifle and may have fired more than five times, while also saying he believed the aircraft were flying too close to his home and violating FAA rules. After his release conditions were set, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources established a no-fly zone over the property. The department said creating no-fly areas is standard protocol when firefighter safety is at risk. Pettit was conditionally released with restrictions that include not possessing a firearm, reporting to a probation officer and avoiding mood-altering substances.

The case landed during an especially dangerous stretch for fire crews. On May 15, the National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for 54 Minnesota counties because of extreme fire risk, and the DNR said spring burning restrictions had expanded into northern Minnesota, including St. Louis County. The agency says escaped debris fires are the state’s No. 1 cause of wildfires, and Minnesota’s wildfire response is coordinated through MNICS, the interagency system that brings together state, federal and tribal agencies across more than 45 million acres of public and private land.

Pettit’s next court appearance is scheduled for May 26. The charge now extends beyond one man’s alleged conduct in the woods to the larger question of how Minnesota protects crews, aircraft and the communities they serve when fire season collides with armed interference.