Quetico Park & BWCA Fires
I can’t remember the last time we had such a wet year and I can’t believe a fire would be able to start with all of the rain we have received. Obviously not all parts of the forest have received as much precipitation as we have on the Eastern edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A couple of fires have started in the Quetico Provincial Park of Canada and one in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on Disappointment Lake by Ely. I do not know what caused the BWCA fire but one of the Quetico Park fires was caused by a campfire left unattended.
As always campers, lets remember to make sure our campfires are dead out!
Disappointment Island Fire
On June 30, 2014, a fire was reported in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) east of Ely on an island in Disappointment Lake (Township 64N Range 8W Section 33—see map). A Forest Service helicopter pilot reported stiff winds had carried a spot fire from the island to the mainland near a designated campsite. Fire crews were dispatched to the scene. Size was estimated to be one acre on the island and one tenth of an acre on the eastern shore of Disappointment Lake.
According to the US Forest Service, fire managers are using confine and contain suppression tactics on the fire. Crews may use some hand ignition to confine the fire to the island. Fire crews will be in the area. Current conditions are damp but a drying trend is expected within the next few days.
All BWCAW entry points, portages, travel routes, and hiking trails remain open.
Two fires reported
Tuesday, 8 July 2014 – 2:03pm
Two new fires were reported in the Northwest Region since the evening of July 4.
One was a human-caused fire in Quetico Park in Fort Frances District and one at Sandy Lake First Nation in Red Lake District.
Fort Frances Fire #8, a 1.0-hectare blaze burning on an island at the south end of Quetico Park, currently is being monitored.
It started from a campfire left unattended.
Red Lake Fire #15, meanwhile, is listed as “under control” at 1.5 ha in size.
No problems are expected with this fire.
Sunny breaks, followed by rain and thunderstorms, continue to be the pattern for the Northwest Region—and this is forecast to continue for the rest of the week.
This ongoing rain has provided relief in terms of forest fire hazards but is keeping the risk of flooding high in the Kenora, Fort Frances, and Dryden areas, which have been dealing with high water and flooding concerns for weeks now.
The far northern sectors of the region have seen less rain and the fire situation reflects this, with four lightning-caused blazes in Red Lake District and one in Sioux Lookout District.
Most of these fires are being observed through aerial reconnaissance as they burn to natural boundaries.
For “FireSmart” tips, visit www.ontario.ca/fireprevention
A link to the Ontario Fire Danger Map, which is updated daily, can be found at www.ontario.ca/forestfire
Report forest fires by dialing 310-FIRE (3473).
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