Winds gusting up to 70 mph Thursday afternoon could be a “game-changer” for firefighting efforts if there isn’t rain as well, according to the St. Louis County Sheriff.

Additional people in northern Minnesota are being ordered to evacuate as wildfires north of Duluth have been burning for several days, and remain at 0% containment.

Crews in northeastern Minnesota are battling three wildfires on Monday, two of which have grown to thousands of acres in size.

Both the Camp House and Jenkins Creek Fires - managed together by a federal team - have grown slightly after rapid expansion overnight Tuesday into Wednesday.

East Range Police Chief Jorden Klovstad told the News Tribune that Hoyt Lakes is “in the ready stage,” should the fire get close enough to warrant a partial evacuation. Klovstad said he is relying on the U.S. Forest Service and St. Louis County emergency staff for updates and risk assessments.

The bar has had some “rude” rubberneckers treating the tragedy “like a bonfire,” said Jessica Willemarck, but by and large, the proprietors have seen “just a lot of concerned people trying to figure out what’s all going on.”

A new incident command team will take over the response to the two largest fires beginning Wednesday, state officials said.

A Tennessee hotshot crew is battling wildfires in northeastern Minnesota that have burned nearly 20,000 acres.