Some residents displaced by the three major wildfires burning in northeastern Minnesota this week received good news late Thursday night as wetter, cooler conditions gave crews a break.

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay announced in a Facebook video that the evacuation orders for the smaller Munger Shaw Fire northwest of Duluth had been lifted.

“Due to the more favorable weather conditions and successful work on preventing further spread, residents have been allowed to return to their properties beginning earlier (Thursday evening),” Ramsay said. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding. The road closures that occurred so that the firefighters could do their work should be slowly lifted as well.”

Ramsay said that conditions for both the Munger Shaw and Camp House fires improved, though some hot spots popped up due to the wind picking up. The Camp House Fire saw some areas reignite, but Ramsey said crews were working hard to put them out. Evacuation orders are still in effect for residents affected by that fire near Brimson.

Ramsay also provided an update on the Jenkins Creek Fire, southeast of Hoyt Lakes.

“We had some worries this afternoon when that wind really picked up,” he said late Thursday. “It was gusting to the 30s. As the storm moved in, I heard in Hovland there was a gust of 74 mph. We were really concerned about that fire and what was happening with it. However, the rain came and diminished the worry significantly. The winds also died down.”

On Friday morning, Ramsay announced on Facebook that “Fire Incident Command is temporarily allowing property owners to enter the evacuation zones of Jenkins Creek and Camp House fires until 8 p.m. today, May 16, 2025.

“All personnel wishing to enter must first check in with the deputies who are staged at Hugo‘s Bar for the Camp House area, or at County Road 16 and Forest Highway 11 for the Jenkins Creek area. Be prepared to give identification and proof of property ownership to deputies. Upon leaving the evacuation zone, everyone who entered must check out with deputies. Be vigilant and cautious when entering because of the possibility of hazards such as downed trees.”

Several elected officials visited the area Friday to survey the damage caused by the fires so far, including Gov. Tim Walz, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber and state Sen. Grant Hauschild.

The Camp House Fire started Sunday, and the Jenkins Creek and Munger Shaw blazes broke out Monday amid critical fire conditions caused by high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity.

As of Friday morning’s updated assessment, the Camp House had burned nearly 15,000 acres, the Jenkins Creek had scorched more than 15,000 acres and the Munger Shaw had torched 1,600 acres. Only the Munger Shaw had any official level of containment, at 25%.

Authorities said they were still trying to determine what sparked the fires, which have been fueled by trees killed and defoliated by the spruce budworm.

Some 150 structures, including homes and cabins, have been destroyed. However, no serious injuries have been reported.