Firefighters from across the area converged on Ely Thursday afternoon as a wildfire pushed by high winds scorched nearly 100 acres and threatened portions of the city, prompting an official evacuation.

Various authorities were providing differing accounts of possible damage from the blaze. The U.S. Forest Service was reporting that no structures had burned, while the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office issued a press statement at 5:30 p.m. that claimed several buildings in the area had been destroyed.

The fire broke out around 2 p.m. and was apparently sparked by a downed powerline near Cordwood Lane, just off Hwy. 1, about a mile south of Ely. It was one of several downed powerlines reported in the region on Thursday as gusty south winds knocked over numerous trees.

Fire conditions were listed as extreme at the time, according to Forest Service spokesperson Becca Manlove.

Firefighters from Ely and Morse Township responded quickly but were unable to get the fire under control initially, and as the fire quickly spread, the call went out for more resources. As of Thursday afternoon, the U.S. Forest Service had requested two CL-215 water-scooping aircraft, a heli-tanker and a spotter plane to assist with the blaze. A Type II fire team had also been dispatched and was scheduled to arrive at 10 p.m. Meanwhile, volunteer firefighters from Babbitt, Embarrass, Tower, Breitung, Eagles Nest, and Vermilion Lake were also called to provide personnel, water tenders, and wildland rigs.

Areas south of White Street and East of 12th Ave. were under an evacuation order as of 3:30 p.m.

By 4:30 p.m., the firefighters appeared to be getting the upper hand. Ground crews were working up the flanks of the fire and water-dropping aircraft appeared to have slowed the fire’s forward movement. One of the two CL-215s was released shortly after 4 p.m. and the evacuation order was lifted shortly before 6 p.m. as the fire was brought under control.

Fire officials had blocked off Hwy. 1 just south of Ely for much of the afternoon as firefighters worked to expand their perimeter.

Getting the word out to residents proved a bit more difficult than might otherwise have been the case. Power was knocked out to WELY radio’s FM transmitter, which is located near the fire zone. The Forest Service did call a community meeting for 8:30 p.m. on Thursday evening to provide more information to the public. A community shelter was being established by the Red Cross at the Ely Community Center.

The Timberjay will post late-breaking developments at www.timberjay.com.