Weekend rain made an impact on multiple wildfires in northern Minnesota, but dry weather ahead means more strategizing.
Officials say the Greenwood Fire in the Superior National Forest is 37% contained.
Meanwhile, the 50 acre Whelp fire has not grown in about five days and there are no firefighters since there’s no safe place to land an aircraft; and at the John Ek fire at more than 1,500 acres, firefighters are creating a plan to attack the fire from the perimeter by refurbishing portages.
“Some of them haven’t been used in years, so they’ll go in there with light equipment, chainsaws, and clean up those portages to make them accessible,” Val Cervenka with the Department of Natural Resources said. “They want to eventually lay hose lines and bring in sprinkler systems.”
The rain led to positive news but outfitters and lodge owners are heading into a holiday weekend without access to the boundary waters, which continues to be closed.
“People can still come up the Gunflint Trail so people can still come to the lodges and canoe on the lakes that are not closed,” she said. “I think open communication with those outfitters, it helps them remain in a calm place. There’s nothing urgent yet about this fire.”
Authorities are not in evacuation mode, Cervenka said, but residents and visitors are in what’s called ready mode. Knowing things could change they’re being instructed to gather things they might take if there were an evacuation. Right now the John Ek fire remains about 14 miles from the nearest road.
Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith have sent a letter to the Chief of the US Forest Service asking for more personnel and resources
Also, the US Forest Service says it’s no longer accepting donations for firefighters at the Greenwood Fire. The outpouring was so great that the extra storage location has drawn the attention of bears.
