Dozens of fire departments from throughout the state responded Sunday afternoon and into the evening to an out-of-control wildfire northeast of Waseca that consumed hundreds of acres of grass and swamp lands.
Officials reported the wildfire started just before noon near 383rd Avenue just north of the Waseca Lakeside Golf Club, near Rice Lake. Winds gusting to 40 miles an hour quickly spread the fire further northeast, first drawing local fire departments from Waseca, Janesville, New Richland, Morristown and Waterville.
The Waseca County Sheriff’s Department reported the fire was under control by early evening. A complete press release from the department is expected Monday morning, officials said.
But as high winds, temperatures into the mid-70s, and extremely dry conditions continued, a call went out to other departments and eventually the Brainerd area Department of Natural Resources helicopter fire response unit for assistance, officials reported.
Some social media reports indicated that nearby farmers also chipped in, trying to slow the fire by digging trenches.
Lynn Connors of Woodville Township provided social media photos by late afternoon, reporting that the fire was still ablaze as of 5:15 p.m. and still moving northeast. But her rural residence, located three miles east of Waseca, was safe, unlike some structures which were in the path of the wildfire.
“We are safe and praying others in the path of the fire will be too,” Connors said. “It is very windy.”
According to ongoing reporting from the Waseca County Pioneer’s Facebook page, one house was in flames by 3:30 p.m. Officials reported a second house on fire by 4:45 p.m.
The fast-moving fire was not yet contained by 4:30 p.m., according to the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center, with more than 500 acres burned, mostly grasslands.
As the fires moved toward Steele County, officials there joined in with other departments to battle the blaze.
Law enforcement from throughout the region worked to secure the area from traffic and curious onlookers, but traffic often edged closer. All emergency response officials encouraged no traffic in the area of the fires.
The National Weather Service had earlier issued a Red Flag Warning for 12 counties in southeast and south-central Minnesota, including Waseca County. The NWS warning was issued effective noon Sunday through 6 p.m.
Other counties affected by the warning due to fire risk conditions included Blue Earth, Dodge, Freeborn, Houston, Martin, Mower, Fillmore, Olmsted, Steele, Watonwan and Winona.