Wildfire burning near Burntside Lake outside Ely forces evacuations
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A wildfire near Burntside Lake about eight miles northwest of Ely had burned about 25 to 30 acres as of Monday evening and forced the evacuation of nine seasonal homes and cabins.
The Birch Bay Fire was detected northwest of the North Arm of Burntside Lake, a large, popular lake dotted with cabins and summer camps adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
As of Monday evening, winds were light and blowing away from populated areas and into the Boundary Waters. Silica and Ole lakes are the nearest to the fire in the wilderness area, according to the Superior National Forest.
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said nothing else was in danger, including Ely, as of 6 p.m. Monday. However, officials put the area of Lindskog Road and the southern-most part of North Arm Road — about a quarter-mile from the fire — under evacuation order.
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“There’s a lot of resources on scene, and at this time, people are fairly optimistic. But obviously, you know, those things can change quickly,” Ramsay added.
Camp Widjiwagan and Camp du Nord, two popular YMCA camps located along the North Arm of Burntside Lake, are not in danger, Ramsay said.
Camp du Nord posted on social media Monday evening that its staff members are “currently midway through staff training. The staff, along with a few volunteers, are safe and will remain on site until given further instructions from the USFS. We’ll continue to follow our safety plans and protocols to respond to the situation. The wildfire suppression system has been activated, dampening the area around buildings.”
“Super scooper” water delivery aircraft that the U.S. Forest Service had pre-positioned in Duluth scooped water out of Burntside Lake to help slow the blaze.
Firefighting crews from federal, state and local agencies had deployed to an area on the North Arm Road and Lindskog Road areas to protect homes and cabins from the fire.
U.S. Forest Service officials said late Monday that ground crews planned to monitor the fire overnight, and resume fire suppression work on Tuesday morning.
“An early morning flight will help calculate the size of the fire more accurately and determine safe locations where crews can safely engage in fire line construction,” the Forest Service reported.
Officials said the combination of warm temperatures and low humidity would create another day of “near-critical” fire weather on Tuesday.
