Fires near Iron Range town and Canada bring smoke to Cook County, North Shore

Smoke lingering in Cook County Friday evening is the result of a fire near Hoyt Lakes, which is a small town on the Iron Range approximately 110 miles from Grand Marais. Supplemental smoke is also entering the area from Canadian wildfires.

The USDA Forest Service says eight to ten fires started along railroad tracks in the Skibo Road area east of Hoyt Lakes at around 3 p.m. The fire is believed to have grown to about 100 acres.

Authorities say several structures are threatened and evacuations are underway in the Skibo Junction area. An exact number of people being evacuated was not immediately available.

"The last report was that some of the fires had grown together," Forest Service public information officer Tim Engrav reported in a news release at 6:30 p.m.

Fire danger is extreme across northern Minnesota. High temperatures, low humidity, and high winds are making firefighting difficult. Multiple ground crews and aircraft are fighting the fire, and contending with gusty northwest winds and haze drifting into the area from Canadian wildfires.