Highway 61 reopens after grassfire near Tettegouche State Park

Highway 61 reopened just before 7 p.m. after being closed for nearly two hours due to grassfires burning near Tettegouche State Park.

By late afternoon and early evening Saturday, the Silver Bay Police Department was asking people to avoid the area of Hwy 61 north of Silver Bay due to the fires. The first announcement went out near 5 p.m.

The Silver Bay Police Department says the flames are mostly out as of 6:55 p.m.

Multiple fire and emergency responder crews from across the state, including Cook County, spent hours working on the ground and in the sky to get the fire fully contained. Airplanes and a helicopter were visible from Highway 61 at 6:10 p.m. dropping water on the fires.

No injuries were reported as of 7 p.m.

Smoke could be detected from the fire as far away as Grand Marais by 8 p.m. Saturday.

Clear skies, warm temperatures and low humidity settled along the North Shore Saturday. That being the case, no official cause for how the fire started has been made public at this time.

Joe Friedrichs April 3, 2021