St. Louis County declares local emergency after multiple wildfires, board moves to preserve funding access

The St. Louis County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday declared a state of local emergency and a state of local disaster after three wildfires burned properties across the county, damaging homes and infrastructure and prompting large-scale firefighting operations.

The declaration, approved at an emergency meeting, was described by county administrators as necessary to "preserve our future abilities for reimbursement or restitution" from state or federal sources, and to keep the county eligible for potential aid as recovery and damage assessments proceed.

Sheriff Gordon Ramsey, who provided the board’s briefing, said the fires began about a week earlier and quickly overwhelmed local resources because of dry conditions and high winds. "I believe these will go down to some of the most historic fires in, not only in our county, but also in the state," Ramsey said. He told commissioners more than 150 structures were impacted, including "at least 30 year-round residential homes," and that multiple communities and federal, state and local agencies responded.

Ramsey described aircraft and more than 400 firefighters from 50-plus different…