Gunflint Trail Fire Update

   The Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department safely evacuated over 100 properties today.  Department  members went door to door notifying property owners of the evacuation from Gunflint Narrows Road to County Road 92.  Evacuation notices were posted and procedures on what to do and where to go were discussed and distributed. 

     The Gunflint Trail is lucky to have such a great group of dedicated individuals on the GTVFD.  The many hours of planning and training for an evacuation paid off today when everything went smoothly.  A big thank you goes out to all of the department members, their families, and their employees.  Even if you were unable to help in today’s evacuation your efforts are appreciated.  A special thank you to Fire Chief Dan Baumann, Assistant Fire Chief Mike Prom, and Deputy Chief Bob Baker who all made the evacuation a priority while keeping their businesses and families in the forefront of their minds.   

  Both the Famine Lake Fire and the Red Eye Fire kept the USFS and fire crews busy throughout the day.  Air attack played an important role in fire suppression today with 3 CL 215’s and two Black Hawk helicopters  working feverishly.  Additional air support and ground support has been requested and will hopefully be arriving soon.   A black spruce swamp in the Famine Lake Fire area helped to slow that fire activity down. 

     The exact size and location of the fires has been difficult to determine due to the large amount of smoke in the area.  There is a chance of rain on both Saturday and Sunday but the wind is still expected to blow.  If we could get some rain along with the predicted colder temperatures then things would look really good for the Gunflint Trail.   We’ll keep our fingers crossed and be grateful for Mother Nature’s help today along with the fire fighting crews and the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department.