2 wildfires burn in Superior National Forest, closing some BWCA portages and campsites
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Two wildfires are burning in the Superior National Forest Friday; one ignited on Tuesday and the other was spotted Thursday evening.
The U.S. Forest Service has closed 19 campsites and several portages in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness because of the Wood Lake Fire, which is about 17 acres in size. As of noon Friday, it was zero percent contained.
Thursday evening, the Minnesota Incident Command System reported the Ski Trail Fire, near Ely, northeast of Burntside Lake. That fire is just under 1 acre in size, and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources firefighters were on the scene Friday morning.
The National Wildland Fire Preparedness Level is currently at a five — the highest level — meaning firefighting resources are strained across the country. Christine Kolinski, public information officer with the forest service, said that’s affecting day-to-day staffing as some Minnesota wildland firefighters are on assignment out west.
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“Our firefighting resources have been going pretty hard. It's used to be a ‘fire season’ in the summer, and now it's definitely pushing into the spring and the fall,” Kolinski said.
After an extremely wet summer, Minnesota is trending drier. The U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday shows more than 48 percent of the state is now in abnormally dry conditions, compared to about 12-and-a-half percent the week prior. This means an increased risk of fire danger. Friday’s report from the DNR shows the northwest corner of the state as high-risk.
That threat to public safety is what triggered the emergency closure order in the BWCA.
“And that's really a safety measure,” Kolinski explained. “Our firefighting resources, including ground firefighters and aircraft can be in there working that fire without having to worry about the public being in there.”
Right now, the forest service is using aircraft to cool the fire and strengthen containment lines, though the terrain and location make firefighting more complicated for ground crews.
Most wildfires are caused by people — 98 percent in 2023, the DNR reports — costing the state more than $23 million.
Kolinski said the forest service and its partners want the public’s help to prevent fires from starting. Especially now as conditions grow drier, she advises people to avoid burning brush, opt for a camp stove instead of a campfire and watch where they toss cigarette butts. Learn more about wildfire prevention by visiting the DNR’s website.