At least 17 forest fires force evacuations in Minnesota as smoke spreads

Firefighters and first responders are racing to get visitors and nearby residents to safety as at least 17 wildfires rage through a Minnesota forest.

The U.S. Forest Service issued an emergency closure Tuesday morning for parts of Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in the Superior National Forest in northeast Minnesota near the Canadian border.

There were three active fires in BWCAW, and 17 blazes altogether in the Superior National Forest as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Forest Service. The fires have burned through at least 33,000 acres as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Forest Service

The fires have spread due to the dry conditions and record high heat in the area, with temperatures soaring above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the forecast.

Heavy smoke was visible for miles throughout the forest and wilderness area, which is popular among summer campers, according to officials.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office conducted door-to-door notifications and swept through different trails throughout the evacuation zone.

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said in a Facebook video that dozens of seasonal properties were evacuated by Tuesday afternoon.

The fires in Minnesota and Eastern Canada were forecasted to continue into Tuesday night and spread smoke throughout the Midwest and the East Coast on Wednesday.