More firefighters, more worries as NE Minnesota wildfires burn

State and federal authorities on Monday offered a mixed bag of hope and grim reality in the battle against wildfires burning across northeastern Minnesota into Canada.

Added rain, more firefighters and a temporary reprieve from skies clogged with heavy smoke have helped crews better pinpoint and attack roughly 25 fires scorching the landscape. At the same time, officials continue to caution against complacency and warn this fire season will slog on into the fall.

“We have a lot of fire on the landscape and we still have a long season ahead of us,” Nick Petrack, fire management officer for the Superior and Chippewa National Forests, told reporters at an early afternoon briefing. “We'll just see what Mother Nature brings to us in August.”

The Echo Trail Corridor near Ely remains a main focus of firefighting efforts as fires move south out of wilderness areas and closer to more populated areas. Crews are also working to protect a hydroelectric plant along the Fernberg Road to the northeast of Ely that provides power to the region.

“The fire is mostly north of Echo Trail, and that’s where we want to keep it,” said Shane Sturgill, the federal official overseeing efforts to put down 15 fires. While crews are doing all they can, Sturgill urged residents to make sure they have a plan in place in case they have to evacuate.

The U.S. Forest Service estimates 63,000 acres burning now in northeastern Minnesota with another 8,400 across the border in Canada. Nearly 800 firefighters are battling blazes, close to double the number from last week. Forest Service officials said three firefighters have sustained minor injuries.

State and federal officials on Monday also told reporters:

• Fire restrictions. Minnesota ratcheted up private burning restrictions near fire areas. No campfires are allowed, including on private property, in Cook, Lake, north St. Louis and Koochiching counties, as well as a small part of Itasca County. No fireworks are allowed outside of municipalities.

• BWCA. The entire Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness remains closed but officials are assessing opportunities to reduce the closure order “in areas that make the most sense,” said Tom Hall with the Superior National Forest. He said he didn’t know when a decision might be made.
  
  Hall said authorities have recently noticed some cars showing up in some BWCA entry point lots and said they’re working with local enforcement to identify owners. Some would-be paddler might be “frustrated” and “starting to push those boundaries” to get back into the wilderness. Local outfitters have said they have no clients left in the BWCA, he added.

• Weather outlook. Beneficial rain has fallen but the wind is back, said National Weather Service meteorologist Kari Fleegel. Drizzle and cooler temperatures are coming Tuesday but Wednesday will be dry, although with much lighter winds. Temperatures will be back in the 80s later in the week into the weekend but still above normal “and we have a lot of fire season left.”

Watch: State and federal officials Monday with the latest on NE Minnesota wildfires

• Forest Service ends campfire ban in the Boundary Waters
• Officials ID Alaskan crew member who died while fighting Boundary Waters wildfires
• Crew member battling to contain northern Minnesota wildfires dies
• ‘Devastating blow’: Special session unlikely, but BWCA outfitters still plead for fire relief