Editor’s note: This is an ongoing situation, with fire conditions and details subject to change. Follow the U.S. Forest Service and Minnesota Incident Command System for the latest updates.
This story was updated 2:30 p.m. Monday, July 13, with new information from the U.S. Forest Service.
BOUNDARY WATERS — The entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will close for the third time in history beginning midnight Tuesday, July 14, as more than a dozen wildfires burn in the Superior National Forest.
The U.S. Forest Service made the temporary closure official midday Monday and said it will remain in effect until the wildfires are contained and the risk to the public has decreased.
“This difficult decision comes after a surge of wildfires across the forest and unusually hot, dry and windy weather is causing fires to spread fast and unpredictably,” a news release stated. “ ... This is not normal summer weather conditions for the area, and the Forest Service is responding in the best way possible.”
The Forest Service cited public safety as the reason for the closure. Not only are conditions making fires unpredictable, but the remote nature of the 1 million-acre Boundary Waters makes emergency response challenging.
"They're difficult to get the number of firefighters in there that we need to get in there just because of where they are," Acting Forest Supervisor Drew Stroberg said in a virtual press conference Monday. "When the Thumb Fire started, that was a good 3 or 4 portages to get to that, and then it was quite a ways off the nearest lake."
Multiple wilderness outfitters were notified late Sunday of the expanded closure.
“Chaos is the word of the day,” said one outfitter in Ely, reached by phone Monday morning. Several other outfitters declined interviews because they were busy reaching out to customers whose permits had been canceled.
Forest Service staff were traveling into the wilderness by canoe to notify campers of the closure. An estimated 1,900 campsites are included in the closure, and the Forest Service estimates evacuation notices will take a week.
The goal is for the closure to be as short as possible, Stroberg said. But while campers may be able to return to some areas this summer, the Boundary Waters likely won't fully reopen this season.
"I do expect that when the full closure is eventually lifted, we will be able to reduce that in size," he said. "Because of the nature of these fires in there ... in all likelihood, the only thing that's going to put these out fully is snow."
16 fires burning in and around Superior National Forest
There are three fires burning in the Boundary Waters, as of Monday afternoon. According to the U.S. Forest Service:
- Dark Fire/Bear Trap Fire: East of Dark Lake and south of Lake La Croix. 2,000 acres. Burning toward Crooked Lake. Very active fire activity. Aircraft are dropping water on these fires. The two fires are expected to merge by the end of Monday.
- Thumb Fire: Between Thumb and Contentment lakes. 6,500 acres. Remote with difficult access. Aircraft conducting suppression.
- Wolfpack Fire: Southeast of Wolfpack Lake. 80 acres. Remote location with difficult access. Aircraft conducting suppression.
The Forest Service is managing another three fires burning in the Superior National Forest, as of Monday afternoon:
- Sioux Fire: North of the Echo Trail and east of Jeanette Campground. 300 acres. Active with wind-driven spotting.
- Rabbit Fire: South of Ray in Koochiching State Forest. 12 acres.
- 614: Northwest of Ash Lake and east of Highway 53. 7.3 acres. Approximately 50% contained.
Ten fires are being managed by a team from the Minnesota Incident Command System. Fires are listed in order of priority. As of midday Monday:
- Echo 2: Off the Echo Rapids Road, north of Echo Lake. 14 acres. Crews will complete a dozer line around the fire and patrol the fire perimeter to ensure it remains contained.
- Beaver Tail: West of the Vermilion River. 12 acres. Active fire activity Sunday; minimal growth. Crews on Monday will secure and improve estimated containment lines and continue mop up.
- Chub: North of Chub Lake, southwest of Crane Lake. 81 acres. Active fire behavior Sunday. Today, crews will continue a dozer line to gain access to the fire edge. They will also secure and improve estimated containment lines and work on mop up.
- Ridge: East of the Vermilion River. 6 acres. Minimal fire behavior. Monday, crews will continue to reinforce containment and control lines around the fire.
- Creek: Northwest of Chub Lake. 3.3 acres. Minimal fire activity Sunday. Monday, crews will secure and improve estimated containment lines.
- Marion Creek: West of the Vermilion River. 1.2 acres. Crews were able to access the fire Sunday and established control lines.
- Nine: South of Echo Lake. 5.3 acres. Monday, crews will continue to secure and improve established containment lines.
- Camp 5/Duck: North of Elephant Lake. 6 acre. Minimal to no fire activity was detected. Aircraft will monitor the area for heat and smoke daily.
- Bug Creek: South of Chub Lake. 0.1 acre. Little to no fire activity was detected. Aircraft will monitor the area for heat and smoke daily.
- Coffin: Northwest of Echo Lake. 0.1 acre. Aircraft will continue to monitor the area daily for heat and smoke.
Even the fires burning outside of the Boundary Waters are in remote areas, complicating the response.
“Some of the work over the last couple of days has revolved around getting access into these wildfires and making sure that’s a safe access for our fighters to get in and out,” said Karen Harrison, public information officer for the Minnesota Incident Command System team and the wildfire prevention specialist for the Department of Natural Resources.
Firefighters are on the ground building containment lines with dozers and hoses for some of the fires, while others with less activity are being monitored from the air.
She said the priority is protecting people, property and infrastructure.
Areas of St. Louis and Cook counties are under ready and set evacuation statuses, meaning residents should begin preparing in case of evacuation.
Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency and mobilized the National Guard to assist with wildfire response on Sunday.
While more firefighting resources have been requested, availability is limited due to fire activity across the country.
The national wildfire preparedness level is currently a four out of five.
At level four, national resources are heavily committed, national priorities govern resources and there is heavy demand on low activity/inactive geographic areas.
Scale, conditions and timing make incident unique
A red flag warning is in effect for much of Northern Minnesota on Monday, with afternoon temperatures in the 90s, relative humidity 20-30% and winds gusting up to 30 mph.
Red flag warnings in July are relatively rare, as are large wildfires.
“Typically a lot of our vegetation is green. It has a lot of moisture content,” Harrison said. “The drought pattern that we’ve seen spread across Minnesota, that can make a big impact in summer, and then when you add in these weather conditions, that can exacerbate it.”
Most of the fires began around July 6, when a thunderstorm moved through with lots of thunder and lightning but little rain.
“That’s why we’re seeing this number of fires at once,” Harrison said. “It’s unusual because of the number of fires at one time in kind of this localized area ... and just the weather conditions that we’re seeing that impact all of those fires adds that layer of uniqueness.”
‘All about perspective’
The Forest Service had closed a large portion of the western BWCAW on Saturday because of the fires and a portion of the Gunflint Ranger District, due to a wildfire just over the Canadian border in Quetico Provincial Park, where multiple fires are also burning.
David Seaton has owned Hungry Jack Outfitters on the Gunflint Trail for 36 years. He spent Monday morning telling recent arrivals that they would not be able to enter the wilderness, making phone calls and answering emails.
The entire Boundary Waters last closed in 2021 because of the Greenwood Fire, with partial closures occurring more often.
“They usually don’t last very long, and it’s all for safety, for the firefighters and for the people going out into the woods,” he said. “So, while it’s inconvenient for a few people, it’s not really the worst thing in the world.”
Closures mean cancellations, and cancellations mean outfitters lose money. But Seaton said that’s all part of the deal, and it’s expected every now and then. In the long term, some people may be reluctant to book a trip in the future because of a cancellation.
“On the other hand, one of the phone calls I made this morning to tell someone that they wouldn’t be able to do their trip they said, ‘OK, great. Well, next year, we’ll just book a little earlier,'” Seaton said. “It’s all about perspective.”
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