Almanac | Wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness | Season 2023 | Episode 40

>> ERIC: A WILDFIRE IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA WILDERNESS HAS LED THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE TO CLOSE A LARGE AREA OF THE WILDERNESS BEGINNING TODAY.

ABOUT 20 ACRES ARE CURRENTLY BURNING BETWEEN SPICE AND OGISH LAKES.

THE AREA IS LOCATED TEN MILES WEST OF THE END OF THE GUNFLINT TRAIL.

THE FIRE REMAINS RELATIVELY SMALL, BUT EXTREMELY DRY CONDITIONS AND THE REMOTE LOCATION OF THE FIRE REMAINS A HIGH CONCERN.

FIREFIGHTERS ARE ON THE GROUND AND IN THE AIR ACTIVELY SUPPRESSING IT.

JOINING US WITH MORE FROM THE INCIDENT COMMAND CENTER NEAR THE END OF THE GUNFLINT TRAIL, FOREST SERVICE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER TIM ENGRAV.

TIM, ARE YOU WITH US?

>> YES, I AM, I CAN HAIR YOU.

THANKS.

>> Eric: GIVE US THE LATEST.

>> SURE.

FIREFIGHTERS ON THE GROUND, AS YOU MENTIONED, HAVE MADE REALLY GOOD PROGRESS TODAY.

THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO WORK DIRECTLY ALONG THE FIRE'S EDGE.

THERE'S THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS WHERE THEY'VE BEEN WORKING.

AND THE REPORT TONIGHT IS 30% CONTAINMENT.

IT'S -- IT IS DIFFICULT WORK.

BECAUSE OF THE DRY CONDITIONS.

BUT WE'VE DEFINITELY MADE SOME GOOD PROGRESS TODAY.

AND WE'LL KEEP AFTER IT OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS.

>> Cathy: TIM, HIS IS CATHY WURZER.

WE'RE SEEING SOME PHOTOS TAKEN FROM SOME OF YOUR AERIAL FOLKS.

ANDS I'M WONDERING,, IT'S NOT A TERRIBLY LARGE FIRE, BUT I HEAR IT'S DEEP IN THE GROUND.

IS THAT A AREA OF CONCERN?

>> IT IS.

WHEN THE GROUND AND FOREST CONDITIONS ARE SO DRY, FIRES LIKE THIS RE BURNING -- CAN BURN REALLY HOT.

AND DEEP DOWN INTO THE SOIL.

AND THEY'LL ALSO BURN IN THE ROOT SYSTEMS OF THE TREES, AND DOWN INTO THE DUF.

AND THAT JUST MAKES IT CHALLENGING FOR THE FIREFIGHTERS TO EXTINGUISH HOT SPOTS AND SEEK OUT AND PUT THEM OUT.

WHAT WE CALL MOPPING UP.

SO THAT'S SLOW AND METICULOUS WORK THAT'S EXAGGERATED BY THESE DRY CONDITIONS.

>> Eric: ADVICE FOR FOLKS WITH A CAMPING PERMIT OR WANT TO GO FISHING OR OR HIKING?

WHAT SHOULD THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS?

>> SO WE DO HAVE A CAMP FIRE BAN OR RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE ACROSS NORTHEASTERN MINNESOTA INCLUDING THE BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA WILDERNESS.

CAM AME OF ANTICIPATE FIRES ARE NOT ALLOWED.

THERE'S A FEW PLACES LIKE DEVELOPED CAMPGROUNDS, RESORTS AND PRIVATE PROPERTY WHERE THEY CAN STILL, BUT WE'RE ENCOURAGING EVERYONE TO BE VERY CAUTIOUS IN FLEECE THESE YEARN MINNESOTA WITH THESE DRY CONDITIONS AND NOT LEAVE ANY CAMP FIRES UNATTENDED.

>> Cathy: I'M WONDERING HERE, TIM, ARE WE TALKING ABOUT, ARE ENTRY POINTS CLOSED AT THIS JUNCTURE AS WELL?

AND HOW MANY CAMP SITES ARE CLOSED.

DO YOU KNOW?

>> SO THE FOREST HAS IMPLEMENTED A CLOSURE AREA.

IT DOES AFFECT ABOUT 80 CAMP SITES.

AND A LOT OF LAKES, INCLUDING SOME LARGE ONES.

PARTS OF NICE LAKE.

KEKAKBEK LAKE IN ITS ENTIRELY, AND THEN VER TOWARDS THE EAST WITH OGISH LAKE AND SEVERAL OTHER SMALLER ONES.

ALL THE ENTRY POINTS ARE STILL OPEN BUT THIS LARGER AREA IS CLOSED TO PUBLIC USE RIGHT NOW FOR PUBLIC AND FIREFIGHTER SAFETY.

>> Cathy: GOT IT.

BY THE WAY, I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE BEEN KIND OF ON WATCHING THE SITUATION.

IT'S SO DRY UP THERE.

AND YOU'VE HAD NOT ONLY DROUGHT CONDITIONS, YOU KNOW, LACK OF RAIN OBVIOUSLY, BUT ALSO LIKE THAT SPRUCE BUD WORM - HAS REALLY DONE DAMAGE TO YOUR SPRUCE TREES UP NORTH TOO WHICH I WOULD PRESUME ADDS THE TO THE FIRE SITUATION.

DOES ALL THIS PORTEND BAD SEASON MOST MOST MOST OFFING FORWARD HERE?

>> WE'VE DEFINITELY HAD A PRECIPITATION OR RAINFALL DEAF SET THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS AND THAT'S CONTINUING ON TO JUNE.

COMBINED WITH THE DRY POCKETS OF FOREST, WITH THE BUD WORM FIR KILLS -- CAN ABE COMBINATIONA COMBINATIONOF A CHALLENGING SITUATION FOR FIRES TO TART.

IF WE GHET GET ANY LIGHTNING THAT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A CONCERN AND WE'LL BE WATCHING TO SEE IN ANY NEW STARTS OCCUR FROM THAT.

AS WE KNOW, THE WEATHER CAN CHANGE PRETTY QUICKLY IN MINNESOTA.

BUT RIGHT OW, WE SEEM TO BE CONTINUING TO TREND DRYER WITH NO SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION IN THE TEN-DAY FORECAST.

>> Eric:

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