Fire along U.S.-Canada border causing growing concern near end of Gunflint Trail
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Growing concerns about a wildfire burning near the Minnesota-Canada border are prompting officials in Cook County to warn residents and visitors near the end of the Gunflint Trail that they may need to evacuate.
Areas near the end of the Gunflint — beyond the Seagull Guard Station — have been moved from “ready” to “set” status, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
The county has posted a map online showing the areas under “set” status.
If the fire continues to spread, the next step would be a “go” evacuation order, like what happened Tuesday morning in some areas east of Ely.
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The fire causing concern near the Gunflint started in Canada and is known as FOR028.
“U.S. Forest Service personnel flew over the fire at around 10 a.m. and estimated the fire to be about 2,500 acres,” the sheriff’s office said in an update at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
“It had not crossed over to the U.S. side at that time but was burning near the west side of the Monument Portage and near Swamp Lake,” the sheriff’s office added. “They are expecting that it has crossed into that area by now.”
Authorities advised residents and visitors at the end of the Gunflint Trail — which includes many homes and cabins, and several lodges and campgrounds — to “prepare to leave at a moment’s notice.”
“Do final fireproof preparations for your house,” the sheriff’s office urged. “Check in with your neighbors to make sure they are prepared as well. Start packing your vehicle and back your car into the driveway to ensure a quick exit. If you feel threatened, don’t wait for the final evacuation notice and just go.”
Tuesday morning evacuations
To the west, “go” evacuation orders were issued Tuesday morning along and near the Fernberg Road east of Ely. That’s due to the Camp Fire, which grew rapidly to 2,200 acres as of Tuesday afternoon.
New “go” evacuation orders were issued Tuesday afternoon for parts of the Echo Trail northwest of Ely, including the Lake Jeanette Campground. That’s due to the Sioux Fire, estimated at just over 3,500 acres.
St. Louis County has posted a map showing the evacuation zones near Ely.
The largest fires currently burning in the Superior National Forest — the Thumb Fire and the Bear Trap Fire — were each estimated at more than 12,000 acres in size as of Tuesday afternoon. They are in remote areas of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, northwest of Ely. Forest Service officials said they have crossed the border into Canada.
The entire BWCA remains closed to visitors due to multiple wildfires, and concerns that they will continue to spread amid hot, dry weather conditions.
Some Boundary Waters campers had to be rescued Monday — rather than paddling out on their own — after they were caught in the path of the expanding Camp Fire.
“With the winds and the fire moving rapidly, they got caught up on an island where they needed to be rescued,” St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay told MPR’s Morning Edition on Tuesday. “Fire Service was able to get some boats together and rescue those folks and get them out of any danger.”
