CHANHASSEN, Minn. — A large portion of Minnesota is under a red flag warning Thursday, as weather conditions will be ideal for wildfires to start and rapidly spread.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued the warning, which begins Thursday morning and lasts through 8 p.m. Low humidity and winds gusting between 30 and 40 miles per hour present a high fire danger.
The counties included in the red flag warning, mostly located in central, west central, northeast, and northwest Minnesota, include:
Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Big Stone, Carlton, Cass, Chippewa, Clay, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Douglas, Grant, Hubbard, Isanti, Itasca, Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac Qui Parle, Lake Of The Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Norman, Otter Tail, Pennington, Pine, Polk, Pope, Red Lake, Renville, Roseau, Sherburne, St. Louis, Stearns, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wadena, Wilkin, Wright and Yellow Medicine.
The Minnesota Interagency Fire Center urges all state residents to be careful with any potential heat sources that can cause a spark during a red flag warning. Anyone who does spot or start an escaped wildfire should call 911 immediately.
Statewide fire danger and burning restrictions are updated each day on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website.