Fire breaks out at White Earth Nation’s cannabis operation

Crews contained a blaze Tuesday at White Earth Nation’s cannabis operations that forced evacuations over concerns of a potential explosion.

The tribe’s cannabis company, Waabigwan Mashkiki, has its flagship dispensary located off Hwy. 59 in Mahnomen, Minn. Adjacent to the dispensary is a processing facility that local officials said contains hazardous material like butane gas.

It was “kind of a dangerous situation,” Mahnomen Mayor Curtis Uran said Tuesday, adding that they evacuated homes and businesses within 300 yards of the dispensary.

The Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office and area volunteer fire departments were on scene for hours from late morning into the evening. A spokesperson with the State Fire Marshal’s Office said it would lead the investigation and that no injuries were reported.

Sheriff Josh Guenther said in a news release Wednesday that the Moorhead hazardous materials response team sent a drone inside the building to detect the presence of active flames in the lab until it burned itself out.

“Once it was determined that there was no threat to public safety the evacuation protocols were lifted,” Guenther said

Butane is used to extract cannabinoids and aromatic compounds from the cannabis flower. The extract is then made into concentrates and edibles.

The fire report came in shortly before 11 a.m. inside Waabigwan Mashkiki’s lab.

Sue Kraft, editor of the Mahnomen Pioneer newspaper, told the Minnesota Star Tribune that it was a chaotic scene.

“They were afraid it could blow so they evacuated the bank. … They evacuated a couple other businesses and said no one could go within three blocks of it,” Kraft said.

The dispensary is directly north of Shooting Star Casino, which wasn’t evacuated but staff didn’t let people outside, she said.

While there was no smoke or burning smell in the area, she said fire crews were being extremely cautious and holding hoses around the facility in the event of an explosion.

“Seeing that there’s gases being used for extraction, it warranted extra safety precautions,” Wilson said.

Tribal Chairman Michael Fairbanks, Wilson and other leaders of the cannabis company are in Las Vegas attending MJBizCon 2025, a major cannabis industry conference.

White Earth was the first tribe in Minnesota to open off-reservation dispensaries through tribal compacts with the state. There are Waabigwan Mashkiki dispensaries in Moorhead and St. Cloud, and plans to open more in 2026.

Waabigwan Mashkiki, which means medicine flower in Ojibwe, also provides products to other nontribal dispensaries, including Legacy in Duluth.