 Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles as a wildfire broke out between Highway 2 West and Adams Avenue, just west of Bemidji. The Bemidji Fire Department arrived on the scene shortly before three o'clock this afternoon after receiving a report of a fire that started from a vehicle malfunction on the eastbound sign of Highway 2. With the dry conditions and wind gusts ranging from 15 to 25 miles per hour fan the flames as they spread quickly across a five acre area. The smoke at one point was so dense that the fire personnel had to shut down the eastbound lanes of Highway 2. Highway 2 eastbound lane was shut down for a couple hours today. Part of that was early on due to smoke conditions on the roadway that were creating some visibility challenges. And the other part of it was is for firefighting operations and the safety of our firefighters on the highway. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources supported the Bemidji Fire Department through the flame retardant air drops followed by multiple water bucket drops from a helicopter. While all this was playing out, plenty of bystanders stood by watching on the sides of the roads. I don't know, you see stuff like this happen all over but it doesn't happen where you're from at home I guess and it's just kind of, it's right there in your backyard. So this kind of takes you back a little bit I guess. Bemidji Fire Chief Dave Hofer wants to remind everyone that there are burning restrictions currently in place and that nine out of 10 wildfires are man-made. This fire was the third fire fought by the Bemidji Fire Department in the past 24 hours. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.