BRIMSON, Minn. — The largest of three wildfires in St. Louis County in northern Minnesota has grown to 12,000 acres since Sunday and consumed over 40 homes, cabins and other buildings, St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said Tuesday.

Three major wildfires raging out of control in the same Minnesota county have burned more than 20,000 acres combined.

Fridley residents, the northwoods community is where they escape year-round. Today, they learned from their neighbors that all that remains on their property is their chimney. “We lost everything,” she said,

A serious situation is unfolding in northern Minnesota, where multiple wildfires have sprung up during tinderbox-dry conditions, and an increasing number of residents are now subject to evacuation orders as the blaze consumes properties. Authorities in St. Louis County are responding to:

Wildfires have exploded in size across parts of northeastern Minnesota north of Lake Superior, destroying at least 40 homes and buildings, as unseasonably high temperatures and low humidity will continue to drive dangerous fire weather on Tuesday.

Good Tuesday eveningThe heat and humidity continue across Minnesota today, with highs well into the 80s and another breezy afternoon. But big changes are coming—along with the most significant chance of rain and thunderstorms we’ve seen in a while.

Ramsay added: "A third large fire is burning currently on both sides of Munger Shaw Road south of Three Lakes Road moving quickly in a northern direction. Residents in the east half of Cotton Township including Morley Beach Rd, Elde Road and surrounding areas should evacuate."

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.”

It's not that unusual to see record warmth in May. But what we've seen the past two days in one of the country's notorious upper Midwest cold spots grabbed the attention of our meteorologists.