DNR: Call 911, leave wildfires to pros

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DULUTH - After an Aitkin County man was injured trying to fight a wildfire on his property last week, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is urging people to call 911 rather than try to snuff fires on their own.

The man suffered severe burns trying to battle a grass fire on his property and was airlifted to a Minneapolis hospital. His home also was damaged in the Saturday blaze.

Each year an average of four people are seriously injured or die trying to battle grass, brush or forest fires on their own, according to the DNR.

“Call 911 and let trained firefighters do the fire suppression,” Ron Stoffel, fire suppression supervisor for the DNR, said. “It is not worth risking your life.”

Minnesota and Wisconsin have seen an unusually early start to the spring fire season, due to the lack of snow cover and a warm, dry March. Minnesota has seen more than 300 fires burn across 4,200 acres, with more fires reported each day.

Fire danger will remain high until the weekend, when a moderate rainfall is expected. Minnesota has eight helicopters on hand battling wildfires along with a land-based tanker. The state’s two CL-215 water-scooping airplanes were scheduled to arrive today from their winter base in Arizona.

Tags: daily updates, state and region, wildfires, fires