The DNR has is urging people to be careful with outdoor fires and requiring them to obtain a permit before burning brush because of unseasonably dry conditions. A fire on Monday in Polk County burned 750 acres of woods and land. Permits are available from local fire wardens or the DNR.

The DNR says temperatures in the 70s are expected in the next few days, which could help fuel the fire. The area has received some rain, but the DNR says hot spots could flare up as vegetation dries.

The DNR is closing two zones to moose hunters but will allow limited bull-hunting in others. The agency has been reviewing the rules as the moose population continues to fall. The state is issuing fewer than 90 permits this year.

Fire officials tell the Associated Press the funding for personnel, supplies, lodging, fuel and equipment comes from the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and the Interior.

Last week's snowfall helped firefighters, but was not enough to extinguish several blazes burning in northwestern Minnesota. The largest is a fire near Red Lake that has burned more than 38 square miles and is about 30 percent contained.

A moose, far astray from its north woods Minnesota habitat, has been plodding around the southern part of the state. It was recently spotted near Winthrop, roughly 80 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, the Mankato Free Press reports. “Generally, it’s young bulls who do this," a DNR biologist said. "They just have a lot of wander in them.”

The state DNR tells the Star Tribune lingering mild weather caused more leaves to fall 10 days to two weeks later than normal. Now, with the prospect of accumulating snow on the way, Minnesota residents are scrambling to scoop up a flurry of leaves.

Forest Service officials tell the Ely Echo more than 100 campsites were damaged by the fire and won't re-open for a few years. The good news -- that's only five percent of the campsites in the BWCAW.