Camphouse

DULUTH — A man has accepted responsibility for starting the destructive Camp House Fire, which burned thousands of acres near Brimson earlier this year.

Parker John Wilson, 27, of Duluth, pleaded guilty this week to a misdemeanor count of failure to extinguish a fire, paying a total of $190 in fines and fees to resolve his criminal case without appearing in court.


The fire, which started May 11, burned over 12,000 acres and destroyed more than 150 structures before it was fully contained a month later, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Wilson was issued the citation on Sept. 5, but the details of the investigation and his involvement remain scarce. The DNR and St. Louis County Attorney’s Office did confirm it stemmed from the Camp House Fire.

“This misdemeanor charge comes following the DNR’s investigation into the fire’s cause, which is believed to be an unattended campfire,” the DNR said in a statement at the time.

A single-page citation summary filed in State District Court listed the location of the violation as 2260 County Highway 44, approximately 2 miles north of Hugo’s Bar, which became a place of refuge for evacuated and concerned members of the rural community.

St. Louis County property records list Wilson as the owner of that undeveloped parcel, with a $48,500 sale recorded in March.

Because the charge is a misdemeanor classified as a “payable offense” by the Minnesota Judicial Council, Wilson was not required to make a court appearance.

He did retain an attorney, Chris Stocke, who filed a letter entering a not guilty plea on Sept. 23. A hearing was then scheduled for Dec. 18, before Wilson decided to pay the fine and resolve the case Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Any decision on civil penalties under state law will be made following resolution of the criminal case,” the DNR said in September.

Wilson was previously cited in 2020 for setting a prohibited fire and possessing alcohol in a park. A citation indicates he was among a group that had set a fire near Amity Creek Falls, and an officer described him as intoxicated and uncooperative.

Talk about a slap on the wrist. This pathetic "punishment" is an insult to all the people who lost property in that fire.

So, in Minnesota you can’t be held criminally liable for an unattended campfire, regardless of its destruction? The guy will go broke once the civil cases get settled.

Wow! His fine was approximately $1.30 per structure destroyed.

Second time offender. That big fine will really teach him a lesson....

KanMopaddler: "Wow! His fine was approximately $1.30 per structure destroyed.

Second time offender. That big fine will really teach him a lesson...."

Hope civil suits follow.

I'm reminded of the story guy that set the Ham Lake fire. Honest mistake, feds went after him for arson, after the verdict went into his backyard and killed himself.

While this guy is a second time offender, Amity Creek has a place known as the "deeps" and is a popular cliff jumping spot for Duluth's youth. While probably prohibited, I'm sure a campfire on the bank of the river was made. Early season steelheading on the Brule has many campfires set on the banks, and likely all of them are illegal.

While it really is a terrible thing that happened, I don't think pitchforks need to be grabbed.

I think the feds went after him so hard because of his lies. It may have started out as an honest mistake but he lied to the feds about where he was and starting the fire.

Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life Parker John Wilson...

Maybe I missed something but how did the feds ‘go after him hard’ by fining him $190 for burning 12,000 acres, 150 structures and a fire that took a month ‘to contain’. With a prior incident of being cited for an illegal fire and being ‘intoxicated and uncooperative’. $190 has to be a typo, I mean cmon. Should have fined him $190,000, maybe he would figure out he needs a new hobby aside from getting wasted and burning stuff. I always fall back on it’s a conspiracy, who got paid what to make this go away that easy.

scat: "Maybe I missed something but how did the feds ‘go after him hard’ by fining him $190 for burning 12,000 acres, 150 structures. "

I think Gadfly was referring to the Ham Lake Fire and Steve Posniak in his post, not the Brimson fire.

Posniak sounded like a good guy who made some serious mistakes before taking his own life. He made a fire during 30mph winds in dry conditions (there was no fire ban). When he noticed a good sized fire behind his camp, he tried desperately to extinguish it, but finally had to evacuate. He barely made it out.

When confronted by authorities on his way out, he did not admit to what had happened. The next day when confronted, he confessed. He was eventually charged with some pretty extreme charges (willfully setting timber on fire for one) which would result in up to $250,000 fine and six years. He then used a shotgun to take his life.

The fire cost over $100,000,000, so it was no minor thing. He had a long history of taking trips up there and seemed like a very decent fellow. I think fear got the best of him. Sad all the way around.

This Camp House fire fine is definitely a slap on the wrist!

Weird how threads get derailed so quickly. I'm only happy that my property, and those of my friends and acquaintances, were spared.

I do think stupid and reckless people should be held accountable at the maximum extent of the law.

First pleaded not guilty, then guilty. Had to be a plea bargain.

OneMatch: "First pleaded not guilty, then guilty. Had to be a plea bargain. "

And with a lawyer in tow. My guess was that he might have assumed heavier charges in the beginning, perhaps similar to Ham Lake incident. But after realizing it was only a small fine, he quickly changed his tune and paid up.

NEIowapaddler: "Talk about a slap on the wrist. This pathetic "punishment" is an insult to all the people who lost property in that fire. "

Either they are overreacting after the blow back from what happened with Steve Posniak or they are counting on civil lawsuits to be his punishment. I don't think they really know what the proper punishment is just yet.