BURNTSIDE LAKE — An estimated 35-acre wildfire burning just northwest of Burntside Lake’s North Arm prompted evacuations of area residents Monday afternoon, with firefighting resources continuing to work the blaze through midweek amid extreme drought conditions and the threat of further spread.
The origins of the blaze, dubbed the Birch Bay Fire, remain under investigation. The fire appears to have begun in a remote area about a half mile west of the North Arm Road in an area of predominantly federal ownership known to carry high wildfire risk due to significant buildup of dead balsam fir, one of the region’s most flammable forest fuels. A fire investigator was on scene as of Tuesday, but no cause had been determined.
Adam Cochran, district ranger for the Superior National Forest, said crews responded to the initial smoke report around 3 p.m. Monday afternoon and the fire burned approximately 25 acres that first night, advancing primarily to the north and northeast toward the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. An additional five acres burned overnight Monday, and roughly five more acres were added by Tuesday afternoon.
“As of now, most of the active flame is pretty well knocked down,” Cochran told Ely officials Tuesday, “but there were over 100 spot fires that we were able to identify through aircraft scanning.”
He cautioned that significant heat remained in the ground and the fire was burning in ongoing conditions that complicate full suppression. The region is currently in approximately the 97th percentile for dryness on long-term averages, he said.
Aircraft proved
critical
Water-scooping aircraft and helicopters were deployed to help slow the spread of the fire. Cochran credited fortunate timing for the availability of those resources: a large prescribed burn operation on nearby federal land had wrapped up Saturday, leaving aircraft already staged in the area when the Birch Bay Fire ignited.
“They hadn’t left yet,” Cochran said. “That was very fortuitous.”
Smoke from the fire was rising 500 to 1,000 feet before leveling out and drifting north across the Boundary Waters, Cochran said after flying over the fire Tuesday morning. He noted that as long as winds held from their predicted direction, smoke impacts on the Ely area should remain minimal.

YMCA camps being monitored
The North Arm Road provides access to two YMCA camps as well as homes and cabins in the area. Cochran said his office was in communication with both camps, which currently have only staff on site with no campers in residence.
“We’re making sure that in the event we do need to evacuate them, we’re prepared to have the resources needed to make that happen,” he said.
Monday’s evacuations of the southernmost portion of the North Arm Road and the Lindskog Road were ordered by the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said the evacuations were being ordered as a precaution. As of Tuesday, the sheriff’s office was asking residents to be prepared to evacuate but had not issued a new order. A Type 3 incident management team from the Minnesota Incident Command System, made up of personnel from the Forest Service, state agencies, and county entities from across Minnesota, was expected to arrive Tuesday evening to provide additional logistical support.
“What that’s going to provide us is logistical support we don’t have right now,” Cochran said, adding that having additional personnel staged locally would allow firefighters to respond quickly to any new ignitions.

Fire weather remains dangerous
Ely Fire Chief Dave Marshall said his department had responded to the fire Monday alongside crews from the Morse, Fall Lake, Eagles Nest, and Babbitt fire departments, as well as the Minnesota DNR and the U.S. Forest Service.
Marshall said the Ely department sent all available personnel, two Type 6 engines, a water tender, and a squad car to the fire Monday afternoon, with an additional 12 personnel kept on standby at the station to cover any emergency calls in the city’s primary protection area during the response. Crews returned at 11 p.m. Monday.
He urged residents to be cautious with fire in the coming days. Burning restrictions are currently at a restricted level, with campfire permits being issued but open burning otherwise curtailed.
“I would just encourage folks to think things through,” Marshall said. “If you decide you need a campfire, you want to be close to it with a water source nearby.”
Both Cochran and Marshall noted that the situation remained dynamic. A chance of rain was in the extended forecast, though Cochran said that outlook had grown less certain in recent days.
“We’re definitely not out of the woods yet by any means,” he said, “even though we’re sitting in a good place right now.”

Prescribed burn scuttled
A former U.S. Forest Service source informed the Timberjay that the area surrounding the Birch Bay Fire had been slated for a prescribed burn last fall to address the buildup of hazardous fuels adjacent to North Arm Road. The prescribed burn was one of more than a dozen fuel treatment efforts undertaken by the Forest Service over several years to address wildfire risk to the North Arm community. The prescribed fire unit, near Geraldine Lake, was scuttled last fall after the Forest Service was unable to obtain timely approval from the Department of Government Efficiency for the use of a helicopter. Prescribed burning is subject to narrow weather windows, and that window closed before approval was granted.
According to the Eastern Area federal wildfire risk management website, the cost of controlling the Birch Bay Fire is estimated at $3 million.