Minnesota wildfires: Nearly 72K acres burned, BWCA closed until at least Friday
BWCA wildfires: St. Louis County Sheriff provides update
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsey joined FOX 9's All Day on Tuesday to discuss ongoing wildfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and efforts to contain them.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Wildfires continue to burn in northern Minnesota and Canada, with more than 20 across the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area, prompting evacuations and closures. Between the BWCA and Canada, nearly 72,000 acres have burned so far, and the wilderness remains completely closed.
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay joined FOX 9’s All Day on Tuesday to provide an update. He spoke from the Echo Trail, off Big Lake.
Minnesota wildfires: Soyoung Kim gives update from Ely
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BWCA wildfires update
What we know:
Ramsay said 780 personnel are in the area actively working to contain the wildfires. Their current emphasis is on building containment lines to keep the fires from going south, toward more populated areas like resorts where families are vacationing.
The fires didn’t move much on Monday, and Ramsay says they’re getting help in the form of rain and cooler temperatures in the area. Further inside the BWCA where the fires are active, work and clean-up will go on for months.
"I see firefighters everywhere working really hard to build containment lines. It’s amazing the work that’s going up on here," Ramsay said. "The number of firefighters, the amount of work they’re doing as far as cleaning up brush and debris, is significant."
BWCA closure remains
What we don't know:
Ramsay says the evacuation zones in the BWCA haven’t changed, including Lake and St. Louis Counties, and the entire area is closed through at least Friday night. Conversations have started on when residents can grab some belongings, and check on their cabins. That is likely still a few days away.
Ramsay is urging those who have had vacation plans in place at resorts to not alter their plans. Resort and cabin owners will soon feel the impact of a lack of guests, when the fires are far inside the BWCA wilderness area and not close to most resorts.