More Closures In BWCAW As Wildfires Burn Across Canadian Border

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Parts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will close Saturday due to wildfires in Canada, the U.S. Forest Service announced Thursday.

The agency said fires in Quetico Provincial Park could potentially spread across the border. The closures will last at least seven days, and potentially longer.

Affected areas include Tick Pristine Management Area, Sundial Pristine Management Area, #22 Mudro-Restricted Entry Point, #23 Mudro Entry Point, Iron Lake travel zone, Crooked Lake travel zone and campsites north of Gun Lake. Click here for full details on the closures.

Some reservations may be canceled, and authorities will begin contacting visitors in the area Friday to move them to safer places.

"Fire managers are monitoring the situation and will determine when it is safe to lift this closure," the Forest Service said.

The Forest Service announced other closures earlier this month as wildfires spread through the BWCA and Superior National Forest.

Three of those fires have reached controlled status, the Forest Service said, while one 65-acre fire near Ely is the "primary active fire." The containment line around that fire is likely to be completed Thursday, officials said, though the fire is only currently 5% contained.

"Northern Minnesota, including the Superior National Forest, is facing abnormally dry drought conditions, with no sign of relief from precipitation in the near future," the Forest Service said.

In:
• Canada