Clifton Fire Department - Duluth Township

An information filled evening with Vehicle Response Training.

Many thanks to the Rustic Inn for providing meals for the firefighters!

Please do not burn. Minutes after being paged for assistance to Lake county Clifton was page to a fire in our own township. Trucks were split between the two with the local crew wrapping up and joining other area departments in Lake County. There will be continuing response in the coming days to Lake County. Additional fires in our township will not be helpful. Wait till next week after the rains for that campfire. Stay safe out there!

Update for the end of the day 5/15

🔥Stewart Trail Fire Update🔥
Size: estimated 100 ac | Containment: 0% | Location: 3 miles north of Two Harbors, MN

The Stewart Trail Fire was detected during the afternoon hours on Friday, May 15, 2026, near Lake County 3 and U.S. Highway 61 in Lake County, Minnesota, north of Two Harbors. The fire has grown to an estimated 100 acres and is 0% contained. Multiple local, state and federal agencies are responding to the Stewart Trail Fire, along with numerous aircraft capable of providing water and fire-retardant drops. A Reminder - If you fly, we can't! Please refrain from flying unauthorized drones near the Stewart Trail Fire.

A MNICS Type 3 Incident Management Team has been requested to assume management of the fire tomorrow, and will coordinate the continued response efforts.

Today: Firefighters are working to establish a containment line around the fire with handlines and heavy equipment, such as dozers, and are expected to remain engaged overnight as conditions permit.

Closures: Due to impacts from heavy smoke and firefighting resources, U.S. Highway 61 is closed at County Highway 2 in Two Harbors and at County Highway 106 (West Castle Danger Road) in Castle Danger, Minnesota.

Evacuations: Lake County has implemented the Ready, Set, Go notification plan. Current evacuation information can be referenced on the Lake County Fire Evacuation | Lake County Atlas Parcel Viewer - see full link in the comments.

Weather: A Red Flag Warning is in effect for Lake County, Minnesota, on Friday, May 15, 2026, until 9:00 p.m. Fire weather conditions are expected to remain at near-critical levels tomorrow due to low humidity, but wind speeds are forecast to be lower.

Thanks to the help of a grant from Cooperative Light & Power we recently were able to aquire a group of new tools to assist with auto extrication. Much of this will be placed on our medium rescue apparatus stationed at Ryan Rd. We greatly appreciate the support of our community partners.

This was the start of our month on Apri 1. A busy day with multiple incidents occurring at the same time. Thankful to have the assistance from our partner agencies so we had the resources to cover multiple emergencies. Thanks to St Louis County Rescue Squad, Lake County Ambulance Service MN State Patrol for all they do.

Biochar demo with a Ring of Fire flame top kiln. We were surprised at the amount of material it could process. Thanks to Dovetail Partners for the use of their equipment. What's not shown is the actual amount of branches and logs we cleaned up. We were able to keep adding to it as it burned.

SCBA training. How fast can you get your heart rate back down after a workout with an air pack on? Also practice navigating with air masks obscured to simulate smoke filled areas.

This is a great opportunity for St. Louis county residents to build up their household’s emergency preparedness. Check it out this Wednesday!

Join us next Wednesday in Duluth at the North Pointe Resource Center (formerly the Rainbow Center) to learn about being prepared before, during, and after an emergency.

No registration required and we hope to see you there!