Fire crews battled multiple wildfires Thursday as the National Weather Service projected "near critical" weather conditions for fire risk in the Brainerd area.
One 50-acre fire Thursday afternoon centered around an area 10 miles northwest of Onamia and drew out multiple agencies, including the the Department of Natural Resources and tribal teams. Four aircraft were dispatched to deal with the fire, which was 70 percent contained as of about 4:25 p.m. No injuries were reported for the fire.
Curt Cogan, supervisor for the DNR's Backus forestry area, said conditions were ripe for a fire to suddenly get large if not immediately addressed.
In 2015, the area had an essentially snowless winter, and the fire season lasted from early February until May, Cogan said.
This year's fire season began in late February-still earlier than usual-but the higher levels of precipitation mean so far the fires have been less frequent and severe than in 2015, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's all weather-related," he said. "If it's going like it's been, it'll probably be a little less intense than it was last year, but we won't know until the end."
Brainerd Fire Department Chief Tim Holmes said it was difficult to predict how the season would go, but conditions at the time indicated it could be a "pretty busy season."
"One or two days of different weather, and it really changes the whole outlook for the year," he said.
The fire season typically begins when the snow leaves, and ends when the leaves and green arrive. It picks up again when the leaves fall and ends when the snows come.
The DNR has a wide equipment arsenal to deal with advance of the wildfires, Cogan said. "Bombardiers," or tracked vehicles with a water tank attached, can tackle grass fires in murky swamp terrain. Bulldozers create fire breaks to prevent fires from spreading. The workhorse of the firefighting unit, though, is the "Type 6 engine," or pickup truck with a 200 gallon water tank attached. They also come equipped with personal gear like chainsaws, rakes, shovels and backpack pumps.
Then there's the aircraft. The DNR stages aircraft spotters on high-danger days like Thursday, to be mobile fire towers that can spot developing blazes below.
At the Brainerd tanker base, there are two "Fire Boss" water-scooper aircraft run by private contractors for the DNR, in addition to a helicopter that can drop water and drop airborne firefighters wherever the helicopter can land.
The DNR also can exchange fire crews with natural resources departments from other states. For example, Idaho sees fires mainly in the summer rather than in the spring like in Minnesota, so they can afford to send crews here during our danger season, and vice versa, Cogan said.
ADVERTISEMENT
A contingent of part-time firefighters dubbed "smokechasers" work during the fire season and work other jobs during the rest of the year.
Cogan recommended no outdoor burning and caution when grilling or having a campfire.
Holmes had suggestions for what to do if fire is spotted, in addition to alerting authorities. Move out of the fire's path, and if homes are threatened, warn the occupants if it does not risk personal safety, he said.
ZACH KAYSER may be reached at 218-855-5860 or Zach.Kayser@brainerddispatch.com . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ZWKayser .
