Gusty winds and hot, dry conditions raised fire warnings across the state Saturday, while firefighters battled blazes snaking through grasses, marshes and woods and threatening homes in the Twin Cities area.
By early evening, firefighters had been dispatched to Ramsey, Centennial, Isanti and Roberts, Wis., in the metro area, and calls came in across the state as well, according to a spokeswoman from the Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids, Minn. All Twin Cities counties are now under burning restrictions, the Interagency Fire Center said.
According to fire officials Saturday:
About 170 acres of grass and woods in Ramsey burned, the fire stretching across a one-mile front and damaging two small outbuildings, a boat and automobile.
Nearly 250 acres of prairie grass on state Department of Natural Resources and game farm property burned about four miles northwest of Roberts, Wis.
Near Isanti, about 30 acres of swamp and grass burned.
Firefighters battled a grass and swamp fire for 90 minutes in Centennial.
Firefighters from across Anoka County were called in about noon Saturday. According to reports, a homeowner burning brush on private property on Ramsey Boulevard had lost control of the blaze.
"A burn got out of control,'' said Assistant Ramsey Fire Chief Ron Lemm. Winds gusted to about 24 miles per hour. The Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids dispatched small planes and helicopters to help fight the fire, which ignited nearby pine and hardwood trees.
Three hours later, most firefighters had finished their work, but some stayed to fight hot spots in Ramsey. The Minnesota Conservation Corps will inspect hardwood trees over the next three to five days to check for damage and fire danger.
About 40 percent of such fires are caused by people using fire to clear away brush or grass, according to Jean Bergerson, fire information officer with the Interagency Fire Center. She said fire danger will lessen as grounds turn green.
Sparks from a passing train ignited a number of small brushfires along a stretch of train tracks near Wheelock Parkway between Rice and Dale streets in St. Paul.
Dennis Appleton, deputy chief of the St. Paul Fire Department, said the fire department was called out just before 2 p.m. Saturday. Wind and dry conditions fed numerous small fires that burned areas 100 to 150 yards out from the tracks.
"It was tough to get them all, because they kept popping up," Appleton said. At least one fire came to within 10 feet of a residence, he said, though no one was evacuated.
It took an hour and a half to put it out, he said.
On Friday 33 fires across the state burned 826 acres. Firefighter officials are hoping lower winds and possibly some rain today and Monday will decrease the fire risk. National Weather Service forecasters see a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms early this morning and into this afternoon, and a 50 percent chance tonight.
Nine more counties face burning restrictions beginning Monday: Cass, south of Highway 87; Crow Wing; Kanabec; Mille Lacs; Morrison; Otter Tail; Pine; Todd and Wadena, bringing to 26 the counties under restriction, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
Small backyard campfires and barbecue grilling are not ruled out by the restrictions, but that is not to say such fires are a smart idea right now, Bergerson said.
