ELY, Minn. — With the driest September ever recorded in Minnesota recently concluded, this is no time for open fires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Effective one minute past midnight Tuesday, Superior National Forest officials restricted the use of campfires, which include charcoal grills and barbecues as well as coal and woodburning stoves. Gas and propane cook stoves, which are advocated as a safer option, are still allowed during the ban. The restrictions will stay in place until further notice.
“We have seen warmer and dryer conditions across much of the Superior National Forest, especially within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We want the recreating public to be safe as they enjoy the Forest,” Tom Hall, Superior National Forest supervisor, said in a news release announcing the ban.
In addition to the open fire ban, the forest service announced the reinstatement of travel restrictions to four lakes in the BWCA due to the ongoing Wood Lake Fire, which has burned 34 acres since it was first reported on Sept. 10. The fire, which was human-caused and remains under investigation, increased in size due to dry, windy conditions. Aircraft were used to drop water on the north side of the fire in recent days in an attempt to cool down some hot spots.
As a result of the recent spread, the Superior National Forest is reinstating the closure of Wood, Good, Hula and Indiana lakes and the connecting portages due to concerns for the public’s health and safety.
The closures come on the heels of a day when 39 Minnesota counties were under a red flag warning due to the unusually hot, dry conditions in several areas of the state.
Additional information can be found at fs.usda.gov/superior.
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