NORTHERN MINNESOTA — Governor Tim Walz issued Executive Order 26-08 on Sunday, declaring a peacetime emergency in Minnesota and mobilizing the Minnesota National Guard to assist with wildfire response in the state’s north. The order responds to 16 active fires burning in the Superior National Forest that have consumed more than 800 acres over five days and remain uncontained.

The fires, concentrated in northeastern Minnesota, prompted the U.S. Forest Service to close 225,000 acres of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on Saturday. Park rangers have been escorting visitors out of the Superior National Forest as conditions deteriorate. The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for extreme fire risk across five northeastern Minnesota counties.

Responding agencies include the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center, the U.S. Forest Service, and local emergency responders. The Minnesota National Guard, which serves in 61 communities and comprises more than 13,000 soldiers and airmen, is now activated under the governor’s order to support these efforts.

“Wildfires have broken out in northeastern Minnesota and are putting local communities at risk,” Walz said. “I’ve declared a peacetime emergency and mobilized the National Guard to assist with wildfire response in northern Minnesota.” He added that the emergency declaration enables “the mobilization of additional resources necessary to protect lives, prevent damage, and help the Minnesota DNR and our local communities respond.”

Walz also expressed appreciation for frontline personnel. “Minnesotans extend our deepest gratitude to all of the first responders working around the clock to keep their neighbors safe,” he said.

Why It Matters

Roughly a third of Minnesota is forested, making wildfire response a recurring priority for state agencies. The current fires mark one of the most significant wildfire threats in the region in recent years, with large swaths of wilderness closed and state resources stretched across multiple jurisdictions. The emergency declaration unlocks logistical, personnel, and equipment support beyond what civilian agencies can deploy on their own.