By Dana Kazel
St. Louis County Board Chair Annie Harala has signed a Declaration of State of Local Emergency and State of Local Disaster for St. Louis County.
The declaration comes eight days after the Camp House fire began, and one week after the Jenkins Creek, and Munger Shaw fires began burning. The three wildfires have burned more than 30,000 acres of land in St. Louis County and destroyed more than 150 structures.
The declaration is a procedural step as part of the state's process for counties to request state public disaster assistance for wildfire response and recovery activities. The declaration by the Board Chair is valid for up to three days until the County Board can gather and vote on a declaration.
The Board will hold an Emergency Meeting on Tuesday, May 20, at 9 a.m. in the County Board room at the St. Louis County Courthouse in Duluth. As part of the Emergency Meeting, Sheriff Gordon Ramsay will update commissioners on wildfire activities and response.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Emergency Management division is working with affected municipalities to conduct a Damage and Impact Assessment Report for submission to Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) to determine eligibility for state public disaster assistance.
