Type I Team Takes Over Cavity Lake Fire

Our local team managing the Cavity Lake Fire since it began has done a terrific job.  They should be applauded for all of their efforts and time sacrificed to keep us out of harm’s way.  They did receive an applause at this morning’s briefing as they introduced the new Type I Team that will be taking over the Cavity Lake Fire.  It’s the first time since 1976 when the Roy Lake Fire burned at the end of the Gunflint Trail that a Type I Team has been called to fight fire in Minnesota.  A Type I team has more experience in dealing with large forest fires and 20,000 acres is large.  A Blackhawk helicopter was used to drop water yesterday along with other aircraft.  The Canadian aircraft that has been assisting with the Cavity Lake Fire was not available yesterday or today due to over 100 new fire starts in Ontario yesterday.  There are currently over 200 people working on the fire and there are more on the way.  There are 5, 20-person crews set up in spike camps on Seagull and Saganaga Lake with more ground crews on the way that will set up along the Eastern edge of the fire.   Mother Nature didn’t give us the rain the Twin Cities received yesterday but she passed along the humidity to us which prevented the fire from spreading rapidly.  It only grew 2000 acres and part of that was due to burn out work the fire fighters did.  We hope Mother Nature will continue to be kind and maybe even give us some much needed rain.