ST. PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz ordered the National Guard to respond to wildfires in northern Minnesota. Guard to personnel and equipment will assist with evacuations and support federal and state fire crews, the governor said. Unusually dry conditions and lightning have heighteend the wildfire risk. Since Friday multiple fires have broken out in Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis counties, potentially threatening lives, property and critical infrastructure.. On Saturday the U.S. Forest Service closed 225,000 acres of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness because of 17 wildfires. Multiple trails and entry points have been closed and campers evacuated out. The fires are worst between Ely and Crane Lake, north of the Echo Trail, and south of Lac LaCroix along the Canadian border.
