Tim Walz

As firefighters and line crews continue to make progress containing several wildfires in northeast Minnesota, Gov. Tim Walz says he’s been talking with legislative leaders about holding a special session to help area residents and business. Meanwhile, Sunday St. Louis and Lake counties downgraded several evacuation zones, which will allow some people who had been evacuated will soon be able to return to their homes. The governor declared a peacetime emergency earlier this month to allocate some state resources to fighting the wildfires. State law requires lawmakers to be called back into session if the peacetime emergency extends beyond 30 days. The 30th day is Aug. 11, so Walz says the special session would likely take place on Aug. 12, so it doesn’t conflict with the Aug. 11 primary elections. At a news briefing on the fires in Ely Monday morning, Walz said he doesn’t know yet if he will need to extend the emergency declaration beyond Aug. 11…