The fire is near Seagull Lake, about 45 miles north of Ely.
Two helicopters and two CL-215 water-scooping airplanes were used to fight the blazes on Saturday, and more were expected to arrive on Sunday from Colorado and North Carolina, said Jean Bergerson, information officer for the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center.
Because so many aircraft are being used on that fire, the National Guard planned to send two helicopters to fight a smaller fire between Bagley and Bemidji, Gov. Tim Pawlenty's office said.
Bergerson said steady winds of 15 to 20 mph hampered fire crews. She said the wind direction and speed on Sunday would make a big difference in their ability to stop the fire from growing.
Besides the fires in the BWCAW and between Bagley and Bemidji, Bergerson said there were small fires south of Babbitt and near Orr. All the fires except the one in the BWCAW are contained, she said.
Crews have been fighting small blazes all week.
Bergerson said the earlier fires stayed small but burned very hot.
"They have been extremely difficult to put out," she said.
July was hot and dry, leaving the area vulnerable to fire. In Voyageurs National Park along the Minnesota-Ontario border, some trees already are showing fall colors, an indication of stress. And portions of the BWCA Wilderness still are recovering from a huge storm in 1999 that downed thousands of trees, leaving piles of dead wood that fuel a fire.
"Lightning fires are a sign that fuels have dried and will start quickly," said Ron Stoffel, wildfire-suppression supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Bergerson said the situation in northern Minnesota has become severe enough to hold back firefighting crews that normally would be available for fires in Western states.
Bergerson said officials haven't imposed any burning or camping restrictions yet but have discussed the possibility.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
BWCAW fire grows to 650 acres
The wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness grew to about 650 acres on Sunday as firefighters, buffered by reinforcements, worked to knock down the blaze.
About 50 local firefighters were on the scene of the fire near Seagull Lake about 45 miles northeast of Ely in the far northeastern corner of Minnesota, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
Four 20-people crews arrived Sunday from Ohio, West Virginia and Missouri, the DNR said. Firefighters, as their primary tactic, used a water-scooping aircraft to douse the fire with water from the air.
Fire officials hoped to curb the blaze before Monday, when strong southwest winds were expected to return, along with even hotter and drier conditions, said Patty Johnson, a fire expert for the Gunflint Ranger District of the Superior National Forest.
The burned area was about 2 miles long and a half-mile wide. The fire burned about 10 miles from the nearest structures, including cabins, homes, resorts, outfitters and campgrounds at the end of the Gunflint Trail on Saganaga and Seagull Lakes.
Bob Carity, of Maple Grove, ended a four-day trip on Seagull Lake on Sunday after watching the growing fire and then an aerial dousing. He said there appeared to be no campgrounds in the area
where the fire started.
"It was really thick jackpine and blowdown where it started," he said. "And it's really dry all over in there. There wasn't even any dew this morning."
Authorities closed an entry point and canoe route, but there were no evacuations.
The portage from Seagull to Alpine Lake was closed, as was a lightly used canoe route between Seagull, Grandpa, Roy and Saganaga lakes, but officials said there were no archaeological sites
threatened as of Sunday afternoon.
The fire grew from 200 acres to 400 acres Saturday night, and steady winds of 15 to 20 mph hampered fire crews, fire officials said.
Besides the fires in the BWCAW and between Bagley and Bemidji, there were small fires south of Babbitt and near Orr. All the fires except the one in the BWCAW are contained, fire officials said.
Crews have been fighting small blazes all week.
July was hot and dry, leaving the area vulnerable to fire. In Voyageurs National Park along the Minnesota-Ontario border, some trees already are showing fall colors, an indication of stress. And portions of the BWCAW still are recovering from a huge storm in 1999 that downed thousands of trees, leaving piles of dead wood that fuel a fire.
No major fires have broken out in the BWCA wilderness since the 1999 blowdown.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Last Updated: 8/8/2005 5:42:11 PM
Firefighters controlling BWCA fire
There is mixed news coming from the gunflint trail where a wild fire has been burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
The good news is that fire officials are backing off on the number of acres blackened so far. Sunday's estimate was 650, but Monday GPS pictures put it closer to 485 acres.
The 'bad' news is that hot, dry winds continue to push the flames across the BWCA.
Sunday scoop planes and helicopters made 193 drops, putting more than one quarter of a million gallons of water on the fire. And while 80 people are digging firelines and attacking the wildfire, it remains uncontained.
This fire has been burning nine days and was most likely sparked by a lightning strike during a storm. The forest service hasn't gotten the upper hand yet.
Because it's in a wilderness area fire officials are using what they call minimum tactics, doing their best not to tear up the forest in order to stop the fire.
Aerial surveys near Alpine Lake put the extent of the blaze at 485 acres but the fact that it's a wilderness area makes it hard to battle on the ground. Eighty firefighters have found access to the fire hard to come by.
U.S. Forest Service officer Dewey Hanson says this is an isolated are, "It's very difficult to get to. By boat it's at least a half an hour with motor. And in reality we really don't want to put anybody in there right now because of the winds we've got, for safety reasons."
Sixteen camp areas at five lakes have been closed as was the portage between Alpine and Seagull Lakes, but so far no large scale evacuations have been ordered.
"Right now, no one is in danger. There have been no evacuations. There are about 70 plus structures, resorts, homes whatever within 2-3 miles of the fire," says Hanson.
The stars of the show are Canadian built CL-215 aircraft, designed to scoop water out of lakes and deposit it onto hot spots.
"They take on, in 10 seconds, they take on 1,400 gallons of water. Yesterday they dropped 193 loads, which equates to over a quarter million gallons of water," explains Hanson.
The BWCA has been a prime candidate for wild fires since the so-called blow-down event of July of 1999, when strong straight winds devastated trees over a 600 square mile area. While forest crews cleared trails, they knew the dead and drying timber would provide fuel for future fires.
Hanson says this fuel isn't light, but could burn a long time, "It has given a lot of fuel on the ground. A lot of heavy, heavy fuel on the ground. And when that gets going, it's not as fast to catch, but when it gets going it burns a long time."
About one-third of the trees came down in this particular area, but if the fire spreads to the areas with more intense damage, it could burn for weeks on end.
(Copyright 2005 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
Last Updated: 8/9/2005 6:25:03 AM
Rain helps firefighters battle BWCA fire
A wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has grown by about 200 acres since Monday, but firefighters were expected to get some help from slight rainfall.
The fire is burning near the end of the Gunflint Trail between Alpine and Seagull lakes. Satellite mapping set the burned area at 485 acres early Monday. By Tuesday morning, the fire had grown to about 690 acres, said Patti Hines, a fire information officer with the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids.
About a tenth of an inch of rain fell overnight, which will help firefighters Tuesday, but not much rain is forecast for the area, Hines said.
Campers should be prepared to bring in cookstoves because Superior National Forest plans to ban open burning in the 1999 blowdown area of the BWCA starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, she said.
On Monday night, the fire grew by at least 100 acres, said Gil Knight, an information officer on the Gunflint Trail.
"We had winds coming from just about every direction today, and there was some growth on just about every quadrant," Knight said. He added the fire was still within acceptable limits, and officials did not believe any campers were in immediate danger.
There were no evacuations.
In 1999, strong winds blew down millions of trees in the BWCA, leaving it more exposed to fires.
This fire was two to three miles from the nearest structures, including cabins, homes, resorts outfitters and campgrounds.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Last Updated: 8/9/2005 12:07:30 PM
Rain helps, but fire still burning in BWCA
Light rain gave firefighters some help Tuesday as they battled a wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but much work remained.
"This isn't over, it's far from over," Jim Hinds, U.S. Forest Service incident commander, said at a staging area at the northern end of the Gunflint Trail, about four miles northeast of the fire near Alpine Lake.
The fire is burning near the end of the Gunflint Trail between Alpine and Seagull lakes. Satellite mapping set the burned area at 485 acres early Monday. By Tuesday morning, the fire had grown to about 690 acres, said Patti Hines, a fire information officer with the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids.
About a tenth of an inch of rain fell overnight, which helped firefighters a little, but not much rain is forecast for the area, Hines said.
Campers should be prepared to bring in cook stoves because Superior National Forest plans to ban open burning in the 1999 blowdown area of the BWCA starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, she said.
Firefighters also are preparing fire breaks for a possible burn-out Wednesday, to burn up vegetation that could fuel the fire.
About 147 firefighters were on the scene at the end of the Gunflint Trail at midday Tuesday. So far, those firefighters haven't been dispatched to fight the blaze from the ground. An additional crew of 20 firefighters has been requested.
Pilots in amphibious water bombers remained on-guard at their base in Hibbing. The water bombers may be called in to soak a line and prevent that intentional fire from spreading, said Don MacDonald, a pilot for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
There were no evacuations.
In 1999, strong winds blew down millions of trees in the BWCA, leaving it more exposed to fires.
The fire started Saturday, apparently from lightning several days earlier that had smoldered until winds fanned the flames. About 16 campsites on five lakes have been closed, including ones on Grandpa, Seagull, Saganaga, Alpine and Red Rock. The portage between Alpine and Seagull lakes also is closed.
This fire was two to three miles from the nearest structures, including cabins, homes, resorts outfitters and campgrounds.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Last Updated: 8/10/2005 6:39:44 AM
Alpine Lake fire controlled but efforts to contain it moving slow
Firefighters said they were making some headway Wednesday in their efforts against the Alpine Lake fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
"Bit by bit, we are making progress," said Jim Hinds, incident commander for the Minnesota Interagency Support Team, during a morning firefighters' briefing.
As of noon Wednesday, 181 firefighters were battling the blaze which covered 960 acres. Another 20 people were en route from Ohio. The fire was considered only 5 percent contained, officials said.
It reached Seagull Lake on Wednesday afternoon, burning part of the shoreline and igniting three islands on the lake's northwestern side. A helicopter dropped an incendiary device on a fourth island, to start a controlled burn.
The fire started July 30 between Alpine and Seagull lakes, northwest of Grand Marais. The fire approaching the Gunflint Trail, where a number of homes and businesses are located.
Firefighters were working Wednesday to establish a 10-person wilderness base camp on Grandpa Lake. The so-called "spike camp" will help reduce the time it takes crews to move into and out of the wilderness.
For some firefighters this week, travel has been by the unfamiliar mode of canoe.
"Everybody's always talking about wearin' your boots, and come to find out you need your flip-flops," said Kevin Taylor, part of a West Virginia firefighting crew that learned canoe basics on Tuesday.
They paddled up to a mile with chain saws, pick axes and shovels. "In terms of getting to a fire, this one might take the cake," said crew mate Tom Schuler.
Firefighters were continuing on Wednesday the work they began on Tuesday of laying sprinkler and hose lines on opposite sides of the fire to contain it.
Gil Knight, an information officer, said the plan for controlled burns Wednesday was to consume of some of the fuel between the main blaze and the perimeter.
Fire officials said one firefighter suffered a minor ankle injury on Tuesday. That person's name was not immediately released.
The medical staff tending to the firefighters cautioned them on Wednesday to watch their steps on the rocky and often slippery terrain.
Also, the firefighters were advised to pace themselves physically because it would be at least two more weeks before the fire is contained.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Last Updated: 8/10/2005 3:52:30 PM