One resident and two firefighters suffered injuries related to Sunday’s wildfire in rural Waseca that approached homes in southern Minnesota.

The firefighters received treatment at the scene and hospital and were released, according to Waseca Fire Chief Jason Forshee, while the resident’s condition from burn wounds wasn’t immediately known.

Numerous crews worked to contain the grass fire on both sides of Snake Trail in Waseca County between about noon and 10 p.m. The fire burned less than 2,000 acres starting from the state’s Findley wildlife refuge and jumping across the trail road to the state’s Moonan wildlife refuge.

Investigators believe a man-made brush fire grew into the wider fire, said Waseca County Sheriff Jay Dulas. The incident remains under investigation.

No structures were affected, though the flames crept up to within feet of some.

Crews remained in the area monitoring for hotspots Monday, said Jake Froyum, regional fire specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The change in weather from hot, dry, windiness Sunday to cold, damp conditions Monday helped.

“We found some hotspots and some smoke and things that we’re trying to get wrapped up so we can have this well contained and feel really good about leaving it at the end of the day today,” he said.

Teams will continue to assess the perimeter on a day-to-day basis as the land dries out.

Michelle Lynch, who lives on Snake Trail, described being ready to evacuate as fires approached in three directions. Marshes in the wildlife refuges near her burned and she could smell smoke inside her home.

At one point she yelled for her husband to grab the luggage. They threw in necessities — the luggage remains loaded in a vehicle — in case they had to flee.

“We’ve lived here for over 27 years and never seen anything like this,” Lynch said. “The firefighters from all over, they are true heroes and why all our houses are still standing today.”

She didn’t feel out of the woods yet as crews inspected hotspots but felt rare thankfulness for a few snowflakes in the air Monday.

“We’ll take every drop that comes,” she said. “I’m usually praying for heat.”

Sunday’s record temperatures in the 70s, gusty winds and a dry winter leading up to it combined to heighten fire risks. Data from the National Interstate Fire Center showed increased wildfire risks in Minnesota beginning in March and continuing through May.

Typical winter snowpack flattens vegetation and adds moisture to it, Froyum said. That snowpack was absent this year.

“The fuels are ready,” he said. “Now we combine that with temperatures that are way above normal, humidities that dipped fairly low and you throw some wind on it and it resulted in fire behavior and fire spread that was beyond what you could directly attack and put out real well.”

Other residents on Snake Trail reportedly had to evacuate their homes, said Forshee during a media briefing Monday at Blowers Park, near where the fires started. Firefighters and farmers used tankers and other resources to protect the structures from the fire’s path.

“About 12 houses were evacuated,” he said. “Either people self evacuated or we asked them to leave.”

Numerous agencies, from local fire departments to sheriff’s offices to state and federal agencies, responded to the fire. Waseca’s fire department and the county’s sheriff’s office offered a thank-you to the teams in the release.

“We’re very fortunate for all the support that we’ve gotten as first responders and for all the agencies who helped us out,” Forshee said.

Western Minnesota wildfire

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 acres of grassland are estimated to have burned, including in a wildlife refuge, just a few miles southwest of Fergus Falls on Sunday afternoon.

Wendell Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chad Biss, whose department led the regional response to the wildfire, said there’s a long stretch of grassland in the area that made for a challenging response.

“Between the fuel source and the high winds, it’s moving rapidly, so it’s hard to get ahead of it. Not a fire that you probably attack directly on. It’s one where you’re looking to backburn and burn itself out,” Biss said.

No structures were damaged.

“Yesterday, we probably had three building sites that were kind of in the line of fire, and all three were well protected,” Biss said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

This report includes information from the Forum News Service.

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