BWCA Fire Update

The Cavity Lake Fire, located near the end of the Gunflint Trail, has grown to over 31,830 acres. As of last night the fire is 45% contained. Crews continued their mop up efforts, using direct attack suppression tactics where feasible. Explosive cord has been used to create natural-looking fireline along approximately 3800 feet along the southwestern fire perimeter. Many of the lakes affected by the fires are areas that we visited earlier this summer. There is a number of portages that are closed that we traveled over on our June trip.
From what we saw of the blowdown area, these fires where inevitable. There are tangles of trees and brush that actually need to burn. It's going to be really ugly there for a few years but it will come back as beautiful as ever.

There are actually two fires burining up there now. The one pictured above, refered to as Cavity Lake fire and one in the Southwestern part of the BWCA, called the Turtle Lake fire. We've visited this area in past years as well. We've walked those portages that are now closed.

Lightning stikes are being blamed for both fires.

Our next Boundary Waters trip is scheduled for August 16 - 20th. It will be on the Western side of the BWCA and far from where the Cavity Lake fire is now and a ways from the smaller Turtle Lake fire.