The Pagami Creek fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has expanded to consume more than 4,000 acres of forest, prompting closures of some areas of the BWCAW near Ely, MN.
The Duluth News Tribune has a comprehensive story HERE.
The fire, which was ignited by lightening on August 18, increased its size by more than 40% on Sunday, growing from 3,200 acres on Saturday to 4,500 yesterday. The fire has been expanding mostly to the south and east. Condition in the area have been extremely dry and windy.
Early in the fire’s history, Superior National Forest officials took action to reduce fuels on the northern border of the fire to keep it from moving into the populated area along the Fernberg Trail.
The expansion of the fire has prompted closures in the wilderness. Entry into the BWCAW is no longer allowed through Lake One, the Snake River, the Little Isabella River, Bog Lake, the Pow Wow Trail, Isabella Lake, or the Island River.
BWCAW Closures
The portages along the following routes are closed: Lakes One through Hudson, Fire, Bridge, Rifle, the Wilder Lakes, Horseshoe, Pagami, Clearwater, Turtle, Camdre, Pietro, Gull, Quadga, Rice, Isabella Lake, and the Isabella River. The southern campsites on Bald Eagle Lake are closed. The Pow Wow Trail is also closed.
Campfire restrictions are in place across the BWCAW: campfires are allowed only between 6 p.m. and midnight.
Find complete, regularly updated information on the fire, HERE, at the fire’s Incident Information System web site.