Firefighters contain blaze near Grand Marais, but worry more fires coming

Crews have contained a 53-acre wildlfire near Grand Marais in the Superior National Forest, the Forest Service reported Friday, while they continue to fight two others.

Forest Service and Department of Natural Resources crews in the air and on the ground have fought the fire in a remote and densely wooded area about 20 miles northeast of Grand Marais. The fire was discovered Tuesday. Its cause is unknown.

The wildfire prompted the agency earlier this week to extend its campfire ban to the entire national forest. A fire ban in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness took effect Oct. 1. The DNR reports the current fire danger is “very high” in northern St. Louis and Lake counties. Burning restrictions have expanded, too, covering Cook, Koochiching, Lake, and the northern half of St. Louis County.

A wildfire was detected Monday on the eastern side of Shell Lake, about 4 miles north of Road 116 within the BWCAW, in St. Louis County. Covering three-quarters of an acre, the fire has some potential to spread to the east near Agawato Lake and a portion of the Sioux-Hustler Hiking Trail, the Forest Service reported. The fire’s cause is unknown.

Elsewhere in the Boundary Waters, crews continue to fight a fire at Wood Lake. The fire, discovered Sept. 10, has grown to 45 acres and is 50% contained. Its cause is under investigation.

Forest Service spokesperson Joy Liptak VanDrie said moisture is needed to lessen the harsh drought conditions and to keep fires from sparking, rekindling or spreading. The National Weather Service forecasts a mixed chance of showers across the Arrowhead region Saturday night and into Sunday.

“If weather doesn’t bring moisture, we will have more fires next week,” she said.

Liptak VanDrie said Forest Service staff have found “too many abandoned campfires with warm coals ... these will ignite in current conditions.”