ELY — A wildfire about 8 miles northwest of Ely has burned between 30 and 35 acres in the Superior National Forest since starting Monday afternoon, June 1.
The Birch Bay Fire was initially estimated at 3 acres after it was detected west of the north arm of Burntside Lake. The fire grew to about its current size by sunset, amid high temperatures, low humidity and light winds.
No structures have been lost, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, according to St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay.
“We are reminding people of the dangerous fire conditions that exist today," Ramsay said in a Facebook Live on Tuesday. "If you have a campfire or anything, please make sure you’re monitoring it and that it’s entirely out when you’re done with it. It is very dry.”
A Tuesday afternoon update from the U.S. Forest Service management team said additional fire crews have arrived and were working on containment lines on the northeast side of the fire.
The Birch Bay Fire burned into part of an established prescribed fire area.
"On the south side of the fire there is a lot of thick forest and slash on the ground that does not allow safe locations for firefighters to work directly on the fire edge," the update stated. "On the south side of the fire an indirect suppression action is being planned, utilizing several of the prescribed fire lines that have been constructed while still looking for opportunities to build direct fire lines if possible."
The public is asked to stay away from the area to allow firefighters to safely do their work.
