Flanders Fire grows to nearly 1,700 acres with 20% containment

BREEZY POINT, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Flanders Fire near Breezy Point in Crow Wing County has grown to nearly 1,700 acres in size as crews work to contain the flames.

This comes as Minnesota Gov. Walz announced the mobilization of the Minnesota National Guard to respond to wildfires across the state. 

State coordinates response to Flanders Fire

What they're saying:

The Minnesota Incident Command System (MNICS) reports that it took over response to the fire at 6 a.m. on Sunday.

Evacuations are still in effect as the fire remains active. County Road 11 is closed from County Road 3 in Cross Lake east to State Highway 6, and the public is urged to stay out of the area for their own safety and that of firefighters. 

Teams are expected to continue mop-up efforts and extinguish hot spots. 

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Local perspective:

The Flanders Fire, burning about 10 miles east of Breezy Point in Crow Wing County, has grown to 1,666 acres, according to an incident command information officer. The public information officer also says crews have been able to increase containment of the fire to 60% as of Sunday evening.

Note: An earlier version of this story had the fire perimeter size at 2,000 acres, citing data from the National Interagency Fire Center, Watch Duty, and the Minnesota Incident Command System. It appears the MNICS has since lowered its estimate.

The story also originally reported that the containment was at 60% per the Minnesota Incident Command System. However, a public information officer later said crews felt more comfortable putting the figure at 20%.

Canadian crews join fight

More help:

Sunday afternoon, Crosslake, Minn. Mayor Jackson Purfeerst said "Hotshot" wildland crews from Canada had arrived to help put out hotspots.

In a Facebook post, the mayor explained that hotspots – scorched earth that still has smoking embers that can kickup flames with enough wind – can allow the wildfires to continue to grow.

Crews are hopeful that, with the extra crews and good weather conditions, they can make a dent in the wildfires.

Dig deeper:

State officials are utilizing 100 personnel for fire containment efforts. 

Firefighters are using bulldozers and tracked vehicles with water tanks to form a containment line from Flanders Lake to Pine River. 

What you can do:

Authorities say the Crosslake Community Center at 14126 Dagget Pine Road is serving as a temporary evacuation point (TEP)

The public is asked to follow all evacuation orders and closures, and to check the Crow Wing County website for the latest updates. 

DNR burning restrictions are also in effect for the area.

Sheriff explains containment

Big picture view:

In a Facebook post on Sunday, the Crow Wing County Sheriff explained what it means when officials say there is zero containment on the fire.

The sheriff's office explains that just because the fire isn't contained doesn't mean it's completely out of control.

"In wildfire operations, ‘containment’ has a very specific definition used by fire personnel," the sheriff writes. "It does NOT necessarily mean the fire is actively burning out of control. Containment refers to how much of the fire perimeter has secured fire lines around it that firefighters are confident will hold."

The sheriff said crews were making progress on Sunday and hopeful to have updates on containment later in the day.

WildfiresMinnesota