Friday update: Wildfires hit milestone

REGIONAL- Management of the July Lightning Incident will return to the Superior National Forest on Monday, Sept. 7, marking the end of the specialized incident command structure that has overseen firefighting operations since July.
“This will be the final update for the July Lightning Incident,” incident command officials announced Friday.
National Incident Management Organization Team 1 will transfer command of the incident to the Forest Service on Monday. The change does not mean the fires are fully extinguished, but that remaining patrol, repair, and monitoring activities no longer require the support of a specialized incident management team.
Future information about closures, reopenings, and other fire-related developments will be provided through the Superior National Forest website and Facebook page.
Friday was expected to be the first day since early July that no firefighting operations were needed in or around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Boats and helicopters have backhauled thousands of pounds of equipment, canoes, and supplies that remained across the fire areas.
Forest Service personnel will continue patrolling affected areas from the ground and air. Temporary flight restrictions over the fires have been rescinded.
The three fires cover a combined 71,675 acres and were each reported 97 percent contained as of Friday. The 6,833-acre Sioux Fire is north of the Echo Trail and east of Lake Jeanette Campground. The Bear Trap Fire covers 39,327 acres about 20 miles north of Ely, while the Thumb Fire covers 25,515 acres six miles south of Gakijiwanong Anishnaabe Nation in Canada.
A total of 193 personnel remained assigned to the incident.
Rain that began Thursday continued into Friday, dropping between one-half and three-quarters of an inch across the fire areas. Additional precipitation expected into next week should continue dampening remaining pockets of heat.
Little or no fire activity was observed, with no growth or smoke reported along the fire perimeters.

More areas reopen
Six additional BWCAW entry points will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 8, as part of the Forest Service’s Phase 10 reopening plan. They include Little Vermilion Lake, Lac La Croix Only, Herriman Lake Trail, Mudro Lake Restricted, Mudro Lake, and Fall Lake.
The Ed Shave Road and boat launch will also reopen, along with the Meander Lake picnic area, fishing pier, and backcountry sites and the Fire and Ice Interpretive Trail.
Portions of National Forest System land along the northern Echo Trail remain closed. The public is also being asked to drive slowly along the Echo Trail, where firefighters and heavy equipment are completing chipping and suppression repairs along the shaded fuel break.
Approximately 150 of the BWCAW’s 2,000 campsites experienced some level of wildfire impact. Some campsites and portages remain closed even within areas that have otherwise reopened.
Visitors should not camp or stop at closed fire-damaged campsites and should stay away from affected shorelines and portages, where weakened trees may fall without warning.
The following portages and Primitive Management Areas remain temporarily closed because of wildfire hazards and resource damage:

LaCroix Ranger District
• Loon Lake-Heritage Creek
• Little Loon-Slim
• Lac La Croix-Gun
• Lac La Croix-Takucmich
• Lac La Croix-Pocket Creek
• Boulder Bay-Lake Agnes North
• Boulder Bay-Lake Agnes South
• Boulder Bay-Dahlgren River
• Iron-Dark

Kawishiwi Ranger District
• Friday Bay-Papoose
• Fourtown-Boot

Primitive Management Areas
• Tick PMA
• Sundial PMA
• Weeny PMA

Fire restrictions have been lifted throughout the Superior National Forest, including the BWCAW. Visitors should review the Forest Service’s online alerts before entering previously closed areas. Information about restrictions on state and private lands is available through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.