Highway 61 remains closed for several miles as Minnesota wildfire grows
DULUTH, Minn. – A wildfire just north of Two Harbors on Minnesota's North Shore has grown to 376 acres Saturday, and Highway 61 remains closed for several miles.
The fire, which remains uncontrolled, was detected Friday afternoon near Betty's Pies and has reportedly burned several structures; residents living between Two Harbors and Castle Danger have been evacuated. A roughly 11-mile stretch of Hwy. 61 between the two communities is closed, with a long detour required to bypass it.
Officials are investigating the cause of the fire; a crew of more than 100 is fighting it on the ground and from the air.
The wildfire, called the Stewart Trail fire, was one of more than a dozen that sprang up throughout the Arrowhead region Friday during windy, tinder-dry and hot weather.
On Saturday afternoon a new 600-acre wildfire was reported in northern Crow Wing County, several miles east of Breezy Point, along state Hwy. 6. Residents in the rural wooded area were being evacuated.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for extreme fire risk for 15 counties in central and northeast Minnesota.
Homes destroyed
Hopkins resident Jessica Maroto, staying at the Superior Shores Resort north of Two Harbors, arrived Friday as the Stewart Trail fire grew. She and others gathered on the shore of Lake Superior to watch planes scoop water from the lake to drop on the fire as it traveled north.
"You'd see the white smoke, and then you'd see the big black smoke, and you're like, there went another structure," she said. "It's heartbreaking for people that maybe have owned places for generations."
An interagency team has moved in to take over fire operations.
The Rustic Inn Cafe posted on social media Saturday that two of its employees lost their homes to the fire.
"Our hearts are absolutely broken for them and their families as they begin to process this unimaginable loss," the post said.
Tammy Dalbec's sister lived in one of the destroyed homes, just past Betty's Pies along Hwy. 61. LouAnn Johnson and her husband, kids and dogs evacuated to a family member's home in Two Harbors shortly after Dalbec dropped her off after her shift at the Rustic Inn, where they both work.
A video a friend filmed later shows the home completely engulfed by flames, Dalbec said.
"It's tough," she said, "but she's a strong woman and she'll get through it. We just hope everyone [else] is safe."
The restaurant will be open to accept donations and offer free meals to emergency workers and affected families, and has started a fundraiser for the Johnson family.
A spokesperson for the team managing the fire said the Lake County Sheriff's Office went door to door to evacuate people from properties, which are a mix of permanent residences and cabins. The agency does not yet have a count of destroyed properties.
While control lines that would keep the fire within its perimeter are not yet considered strong enough, crews have made enough progress on building them that some of the fire could be considered contained soon, depending on conditions, spokesperson Karen Harrison said.
Two Harbors safe from fire, smoke
Andrea Oeffling, director of sales and marketing at Castle Danger, said the brewery was surprisingly busy Saturday with many campers and visitors unaware there is a fire just a few miles away. The Two Harbors taproom is operating as a staging area and support station for people affected by the fire and is handing out free food and drinks.
So far, Oeffling said, no smoke has reached the town because the wind is going the other way.
"It's a beautiful day here in Two Harbors," she said. "You wouldn't even know there is a fire just a few miles away."
She said local residents hope the wind doesn't change, because tonight is prom for Two Harbors High School.
"If that wind changes, that fire is going to head right into Two Harbors," she said. "It's always crazy with these wildfires."
Oeffling said many residents who were not forced to evacuate are hunkering down, trying to wait out the fire.
"I know there have been structural damage to some places on the North Shore, but I don't know if it's residences or business or what that looks like," she said.
She said a lot of residents are worried about Betty's Pies, 3 miles up the road and near where the fire started.
"Betty's Pies is right in the hot spot of everything right now," she said.
Castle Danger co-owner Lon Larson said he doesn't know if the popular North Shore pit stop has been damaged.
"I know Betty's Pies is closed today because you really can't get to it," he said. "It's really windy. I don't think that is helping things right now."
Winds pose threat
Neighboring St. Louis County saw 17 wildfires Friday, including one in Gilbert that grew to 25 acres, said Sheriff Gordon Ramsay. All those fires were under control.
The Sheriff's Office said some were started by residents burning cardboard, and others by high winds knocking trees into power lines.
Winds could gust to 30 mph Saturday, and humidity will be relatively low, said Cory Rothstein of the Duluth office of the National Weather Service.
Red flag warnings mean weather conditions such as high winds and low humidity could lead to quickly spreading fires. Residents should not burn in counties were a red flag warning exists, and campfires are discouraged.
"When fire risk is this high, it's important to be careful with anything could spark a wildfire," said Mike Warnke, Department of Natural Resources wildfire administrative supervisor.
With the Two Harbors area expected to receive rain and stormy weather Sunday and Monday, "today's really the main day where we're still looking at those near-critical fire weather conditions," Rothstein said.
A year ago this month, a wildfire started by a campfire in nearby Brimson destroyed more than 150 buildings and burned through 12,000 acres under the same conditions.
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(Jeff Meitrodt of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.)
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This story was originally published May 16, 2026 at 4:59 PM.