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Dry spring conditions lead to a small wildfire near Split Rock Lighthouse
Split Rock Lighthouse
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Dry spring conditions lead to a small wildfire near Split Rock Lighthouse

Updated March 14 at 10:30 a.m.

A small wildfire occurred near Split Rock Lighthouse yesterday, March 12, around 2:30 p.m. It is one of the first wildfires reported along the North Shore and has marked the early beginning of the wildfire season in northeastern Minnesota.

Yesterday, Split Rock Lighthouse, located south of Silver Bay, reported a small wildfire south of the historic lighthouse around 2:00 p.m. Out of abundance for caution, Split Rock Lighthouse staff said they evacuated all guests and shut down the historical site around 2:30 p.m.

The small fire was contained and put out around 4:30 p.m. 

Hayes Scriven, the site manager at Split Rock Lighthouse told WTIP on March 14, the fire started “in a tree stump in the woods.”

The fire burned approximately 4-6 acres, Scriven said. “The fire got about 50 yards from our historic tramway building.”

He said, fortunately, the fire did not damage any of the historic buildings or structures.

In a Facebook post on March 13, Split Rock Lighthouse officials said, “Thank you to our amazing staff here at Split Rock Lighthouse, the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the Silver Bay Fire Department, and the Minnesota DNR for their quick response to a nearby fire in the woods.”

Split Rock Lighthouse re-opened for normal hours today. 

With ongoing dry conditions and temperatures in the 50s and 60s earlier this week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource is closely monitoring fire danger. 

“This season, we’ve seen the fire season being expedited,” Nick Petrack, the forest fire management officer for Superior and Chippewa National Forests, said. “Everything is happening approximately six weeks earlier than normal fire season.”

Typically, the fire season begins in late May, when the snow recedes from the forest. However, with the mild winter so far, it will arrive much sooner.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Office told WTIP that as of 5:58 p.m. March 13, no wildfires had been reported in Cook County. 

Below is a map of current fire danger for northeastern Minnesota and a map of fire restrictions.