Crews battling 31K-acre fire in extreme NW Minn.

by Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio

Moorhead, Minn. — Minnesota DNR crews are battling a large grass fire in northwest Minnesota.

The fire has burned 31,000 acres, and is less than a mile from the Canadian border in Roseau County. Most of the area is grassland and brush; no structures are threatened.

Jean Bergerson at the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center said about 60 people are fighting the fire on the ground with air support. She said they have a fire line around 75 percent of the fire.

"Crews did a burnout last night on the north end in anticipation of those southerly winds today," Bergerson said. "They worked that last night and are pretty confident that will hold."

Bergerson said a cool front Friday should bring higher humidity and help slow the fire.