Hennepin County Swamp Fire Burns 50 Acres Monday Morning

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — A swamp fire in the northwest Twin Cities Monday burned more than 50 acres of a 160-acre swamp. During the fire, Highway 12 was closed for four hours between County Road 83 and County Road 90. Many local roads were closed during this same time frame to keep routes open for emergency vehicles that responded.

On May 8 at 8:30 pm, West Hennepin Public Safety Department (WHPS) and Maple Plain Fire Department (MPFD) were dispatched to grass fire North West of Maple Plain at Highway 12 and County Road 90. Upon arriving, West Hennepin Police Officers located "a moderate fire" burning in the middle of a large swamp directly east of Independence City Hall.

The fire was approximately 100 feet by 100 feet when fire crews arrived and quickly grew to a large fire burning more than 50 acres of a 160 acre swamp, according to authorities. Officers arrived to discover the fire actually started in the middle of the swamp completely covered in Cattails and water. WHPS is leading the investigation into to the cause of the fire.

No property has been damaged and nobody has been hurt. The fire will continue to burn into the morning hours. Due to the location of the fire, it has been very difficult to put out, authorities say.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been working closely with the MPFD and they were unable to use their water deployment helicopter during the night time hours, according to a news release. The helicopter will arrive in the morning to assist in putting out the fire, if needed.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has already put up two electronic messages boards on Highway 12 that say "Controlled Burn Ahead" to help with the morning traffic congestion along Highway 12. Authorities say the fire will continue into the morning and will be closely monitored.

Image via West Hennepin Public Safety