Crews deploy sprinklers as fires continue in Superior National Forest

ELY — As wildfires continue to burn throughout the Superior National Forest, fire crews are deploying sprinklers and using other tactics to prevent their spread.

Cooler, wetter temperatures in recent days have given time for fire crews to prepare for expected drier and windier conditions.

One way they are preparing is with sprinkler systems. Marty Schubitzke of the Duluth Fire Department said the goal is for the sprinklers to dampen vegetation surrounding structures. This is to prevent fire from reaching them.

“We don’t need to wet down a gravel path,” Schubitzke said. “It’s defendable space. We don’t need to wet down rocks, but it’s all the moisture. We don’t want to hit the structure.”

Lorie Shaull

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KAXE

Up to 10 sprinklers are attached to a pump. The pump takes water from nearby water sources, like lakes. If there is no source nearby, firefighters set up a large water tank that is filled daily by trucks. It took around three hours for Schubitzke and a crew to put up a system with eight pumps.

“We did some training with these crews,” Schubitzke said. “We got more efficient. And some of these crews have never done this before.”

Crews are also working to remove potential fuel sources. Craig Robertson is the division supervisor for the Southern Area Complex Incident Management team. He said the removal is time-consuming and something homeowners can help with in advance.

1 of 4  — A water pump on a dock on Fenske Lake delivers water to sprinkler systems set up to distribute water to structures and vegetation nearby in Ely on July 23, 2026.jpg

A water pump on a dock on Fenske Lake delivers water to sprinkler systems set up to distribute water to structures and vegetation nearby in Ely on July 23, 2026.

Lorie Shaull / KAXE

2 of 4  — 02 A sprinkler set up to spray vegetation at a Fenske Lake Cabin near the Echo Trail in Ely on July 23, 2026.jpg

A sprinkler set up to spray vegetation around a Fenske Lake Cabin near the Echo Trail in Ely on July 23, 2026.

Lorie Shaull / KAXE

3 of 4  — A wye valve distributes water to multiple sprinklers near on Fenske Lake in Ely on July 23, 2026.jpg

A wye valve distributes water to multiple sprinklers near Fenske Lake in Ely on July 23, 2026.

Lorie Shaull / KAXE

4 of 4  — 01 A sprinkler set up to spray vegetation at a Fenske Lake Cabin near the Echo Trail in Ely on July 23, 2026.jpg

A sprinkler set up to spray vegetation near a Fenske Lake Cabin near the Echo Trail in Ely on July 23, 2026.

Lorie Shaull / KAXE

"Cleaning needle cast off your roofs, cleaning gutter, removing just debris and stacks of fuel that we see like firewood and things like that,” Robertson said. “Just get that stuff away from your house.”

While firefighters are preparing areas and fighting fire, there are many important roles behind the scenes. Around 1,100 personnel are assigned to Minnesota's fire response.

“From where we sleep, where we eat, where we do everything, all that is what the rest of the team does,” Robertson said. “The finance, ordering, getting stuff that we need to work with.”

Lorie Shaull

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KAXE

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is set to partially reopen Monday for day access. About 30 entry points in Cook County will open.

Overnight trips are not allowed anywhere in the Boundary Waters, but forest officials now anticipate it will reopen for overnight access on Thursday. An official decision will be announced Monday.

Officials said they are trying to balance visitor and firefighter safety with people's desire to visit the wilderness. The Superior National Forest closed the entire wilderness area for the third time in history earlier this month after a lightning storm ignited dozens of fires.