I’ve written about wildfire before, but only in the context of fires somewhere else or fires in history. Now the fires are at our door. And that’s what I was worried about all along. Now I’m writing about wildfires in northern Minnesota.
The Brimson fire complex, which includes the Jenkins Creek and Camp House fires, is still burning, though recent weather tamped down their combustion. The Miller Trunk fire was much smaller, but perilously close to populated areas north of Duluth.
For five days these fires burned out of control, with the state’s entire interagency fire team fighting them tooth and nail. Though the fires were in relatively remote locations, they’re still on track to become Minnesota’s most expensive fires in terms of property damage since the great fires of 1918.
Let’s take another roll of the dice. Put the fires a little farther north and we might be mourning the loss of Hoyt Lakes or Aurora, perhaps Babbitt. New cabins and houses dot the landscape of the region, and none of them are completely safe.
Not even my home.
The reasons for wildfire are many, but our political analysis is meaningless in the face of flames. We will now face this threat every year for the foreseeable future. It’s foolish to think this year was as bad as it could get.
Read more in my latest column, “Minnesota wildfires remind that danger smolders in these North Woods,” published Saturday, May 17, 2025 in the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
