'Precautionary evacuation' for residents, campers near BWCA Pagami Creek Fire
Some residents and campers near the Pagami Creek Fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are being asked to leave the area, now that the Pagami Creek Fire has grown to 16,000 acres.
Fire information officer Becca Manlove says the "precautionary evacuation" began Monday afternoon as strong winds and little rain offer little chance of help in fighting the fire.
"We would rather people have a little time to think and gather things and move rather than asking them on very short notice," she said.
Manlove says additional crews will be working the fire on Tuesday.
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The blaze has forced Lake County and Superior National Forest officials to close several county and Forest Service roads north of Minnesota Highway 1 between Ely and Isabella.
Smoke is obscuring so much of the ground that pilots are unable to give an accurate description of how much land has been burned.
Maps, photos and more information available at visit InciWeb.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
