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Over a dozen wildfires are still burning in Superior National Forest and BWCA

Over a dozen wildfires are still burning in Superior National Forest and BWCA

More than a dozen wildfires are still burning in the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The BWCA remains closed until at least Friday.
by Dan Kraker

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Towboats, which are often controversial in the BWCA, praised for their role in fire rescues

Towboats, which are often controversial in the BWCA, praised for their role in fire rescues

Resort owners and outfitters in Ely played a critical role this week in helping evacuate canoeists from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, as they used their motorized towboats to get people and their gear out. But there's long been a controversy over the use of noisy towboats in the quiet and pristine wilderness.
by Dan Kraker and David Schaper

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Wildfire smoke spreads: Air quality alert issued through Monday for most of Minnesota

Wildfire smoke spreads: Air quality alert issued through Monday for most of Minnesota

Friday morning, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued an air quality alert from 10 a.m. on Friday until 11 a.m. on Monday for east-central, west-central, north-central, northwest, central and northeast Minnesota.
by Molly Castle Work

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As wildfires burn, an Ely theater opens its doors to community

As wildfires burn, an Ely theater opens its doors to community

The Northern Lakes Arts Association continues with its Broadway in the Boundary Waters production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” July 17-26, with lowered ticket prices, to provide an escape for community.
by Alex V. Cipolle

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‘Still very extreme’: Officials see little reprieve as wildfires burn across NE Minnesota

‘Still very extreme’: Officials see little reprieve as wildfires burn across NE Minnesota

Authorities on Friday estimated the summer fires have burned some 77,000 acres so far. As in prior briefings, they made it clear they expect to be fighting wildfires through the fall and that the work may not end until it snows.
by MPR News Staff

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Air quality conditions remain poor in northern Minnesota

Air quality conditions remain poor in northern Minnesota

Air quality indexes in northern and central Minnesota are forecast to be in the unhealthy or very unhealthy range, with heat exacerbating the impacts.
by Annie Baxter

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How weather and climate shape wildfire risk

MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks with MPR News meteorologists about the weather conditions that make wildfires more likely to ignite and spread and how a changing climate is influencing fire seasons in Minnesota.
by Kelly Gordon and Cari Dwyer

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‘We gotta go’: Brothers tell of harrowing wilderness escape as wildfires closed in

‘We gotta go’: Brothers tell of harrowing wilderness escape as wildfires closed in

Tom and John Connelly put in on Saturday for what was supposed to be a 10-day fishing trip through Quetico Provincial Park, across the Canadian border from the Boundary Waters. Then came the fires and a heart-pounding struggle to make it out.
by Dan Kraker

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