Firefighters still battling BWCA blazes

Firefighters continue to battle several small wildfires burning in and around the parched Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

The biggest fire is in Canada. Officials say the 500-acre Emerald Lake Fire is burning in Quetico Provincial Park, and has forced the closure of 16 lakes in the Boundary Waters near the Canadian border.

Three dozen firefighters are on the ground on the Minnesota side battling two smaller fires. The 35-acre Parley Lake Fire is now 10 percent contained. The 2.5 acre Hoist Bay Fire is 75 percent contained. Helicopters and water scooping airplanes are dumping water on both.

At least 12 other wildfires already have been suppressed or declared out in the Superior National Forest this month, as extremely dry conditions persist.

The blazes have forced additional closures in the Boundary Waters. Campfires are still only allowed in the Boundary Waters between 7 p.m. and midnight.