Governor, Executive Council to Consider Extending Wildfire Emergency

Governor Tim Walz and the Executive Council will receive an updated briefing on the northeastern Minnesota wildfires this morning (9:30) before voting on a 30-day extension of the state’s peacetime emergency. The extension would extend Executive Order 26-08 beyond its current August 11th expiration date, allowing additional state resources to support firefighting and recovery efforts. Since July 7th, lightning-sparked wildfires have burned thousands of acres, forced evacuations east of Ely, and closed the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.