Kate Tovsen, who lives about 20 miles outside of Ely, left her home with her three young children as fires spread in the Boundary Waters. “It's just so surreal to have to to be a parent managing that situation,” she told MPR News.
MPR News guest host Kelly Gordon talks with a forest ecologist about the wildfires burning in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, what's fueling them, why they're so difficult to contain and how to reduce wildfire risk.
Many of the state’s farmers may have a tough week ahead as they contend with the intense summer heat and worry over their animals. Some may also be bracing for smoke from wildfires in the north.
Paddlers coming out of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Monday shared some of their harrowing moments as they worked to get themselves and their loved ones off the water ahead of the fires closing in.
Authorities advised residents and visitors “prepare to leave at a moment’s notice.” St. Louis County has posted a map showing the evacuation zones near Ely.
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said fallen trees from previous blowdowns in the Boundary Waters are fueling the fires, and led to explosive growth of the Camp Fire on Monday.
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