Pagami Creek Fire now over 60,000 acres, threatening Isabella

View of fire from Jasper Lake by Chuck Dayton

View of Fire from Section 12 Lake by Chuck Dayton

 

View of fire from Garden Lake by Chuck Dayton September 12, 2011

We'll update you later today, when our report arrives.

MPR reports that the fire grew to 60,000 acres yesterday.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/09/13/pagami-fire-60000-acres-evacuations-underway/

September 12 Pagami Creek Update Acres Burned Doubled in Size

Pagami Creek Fire Update
                                                           
                       September 12, 2011

Contact: Fire Information 218-365-3177
TODAY’S MESSAGE:  Yesterday, strong north winds drove a point of the Pagami Creek Fire south toward the Isabella River. Approximately 50 campers from the river and lake routes south of the fire and 70 campers along the eastern front of the fire were assisted out of the wilderness by Public Safety Crews. Entry points near the fire were closed and campers with reservations were given the option to reserve a new permit with available quota from other entry points. Wilderness wide campfire restrictions were enacted. Campfires will be allowed only between 6:00 p.m. and midnight until further notice.

ACTIVITIES TODAY:  
        Public Safety crews are posted at portages and entry points to keep visitors clear of areas threatened by fire as well as those areas that may fill with dense smoke.
        Airplanes and helicopters are being used to drop water, keeping the fire within the wilderness and south and east of the Kawishiwi River.
        Crews will focus containment efforts on the northern edge and southern tip of the fire.

CLOSURES: Most of the BWCAW remains safe and open to visitors. To insure public safety the following waterways and portages are closed: Lakes One through Hudson, Fire, Bridge, Rifle, the Wilders, Horseshoe, Pagami, Clearwater, Turtle, Camdre, Pietro, Gull, Quadga, Rice,  Isabella Lake, and the Isabella River. The southern campsites on Bald Eagle are closed. The Pow Wow Trail is closed. The following entry points are closed: #30 Lake One, #84 Snake River, #75 Little Isabella River, #67 Bog Lake, #86 Pow Wow Trail, #35 Isabella Lake, and #34 Island River. Today, campsites on the southern end of Insula Lake will be added to the closures. Sites, routes and portages will be re-opened as soon as it is safe to do so.

SAFETY: Public Safety crews will be working with campers in nearby lakes including Insula to advise them of safe travel routes. Campfire restrictions are in place. In the entire BWCAW campfires are allowed only between 6 p.m. and midnight. Be sure that campfires are doused thoroughly until cold to the touch.

DATE OF DETECTION: August 18, 2011
CAUSE:  Lightning

CURRENT SIZE:  approximately 11,000 acres--acreage is expected to increase today due to weather conditions.

LOCATION: Township 63 N, Range 9 W, Sections 30, 31, 32:  approximately 14 miles east of Ely (within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness) in the Pagami Creek area between the South Kawishiwi River, Clearwater Lake, and Lake One.

AGENCY:  Superior National Forest, Kawishiwi Ranger District

SMOKE CONDITIONS: Smoke may be heavy and wide spread depending on wind direction.

RESOURCES:  A 20 person Minnesota Incident Command System crew of firefighters arrived last night. Another crew is on order. Yesterday, we received assistance from a Canadian air tanker. A helicopter and a CL-215 air tanker are at the Ely tanker base.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:        
Phone (218) 365-3177  
Internet:  www.inciweb.org/incident/2534                   Follow us on Twitter@inciweb

BWCAW Closures and Fire RESTRICTIONS

PRESS RELEASE
Superior National Forest
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
September 11, 2011
 
Forest Service to Restrict Campfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
In light of continued unseasonably dry, warm conditions the Forest Service is restricting
campfires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).
Beginning September 12, 2011 until further notice, campfires will only be allowed between 6:00pm and midnight at designated campsites within firegrates in the BWCAW. Use of gas and propane stoves are permitted anytime.
 
All visitors to the Superior National Forest and surrounding area are urged to take care with the
use of fire where permitted. Be sure that campfires are doused thoroughly until cold to the touch.
This restriction includes the entire BWCAW.
Additional Information: As a safety precaution, the Forest Service has closed some of the area
adjacent to the Pagami Creek Fire. Most of the BWCAW remains open to visitors eager to enjoy
the fall season.
 
For continued updates regarding the Pagami Creek Fire see www.inciweb.org/incident/2534

PAGAMI CREEK FIRE UPDATE 9-11-11

TODAY'S MESSAGE: Yesterday's dry air and north winds pushed the Pagami Creek Fire farther south yesterday. In consideration of today's high fire indices, fire managers began a proactive movement of campers from Lakes Two through Hudson, nearby routes, and the Isabella River within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Specific closures are listed below. Most of the BWCAW remains safe and open to visitors eager to enjoy the fall season.

ACTIVITIES TODAY:

Public Safety crews are sweeping the areas to be closed, assisting campers into other lakes.

Airplanes and helicopters are being used to drop water, keeping the fire within the wilderness and south and east of the Kawishiwi River.

CLOSURES: The vast majority of the BWCAW remains safe and open to visitors. To insure public safety the following waterways and portages are temporarily closed: Lakes One through Hudson, Fire, Bridge, Rifle, the Wilders, Horseshoe, Pagami, Clearwater, Turtle, Camdre, Pietro, Gull, Quadga, Rice, Isabella Lake, and the Isabella River. The southern campsites on Bald Eagle are closed. The Pow Wow Trail is closed. Sites, routes and portages will be re-opened as soon as it is safe to do so. The following entry points are closed: #30 Lake One, #84 Snake River, #75 Little Isabella River, #67 Bog Lake, #86 Pow Wow Trail, #35 Isabella Lake, and #34 Island River. Campers already in the BWCAW will be able to travel through these routes to exit the wilderness but visitors will not be allowed to enter at these points until further notice.

SAFETY: Campfire restrictions are in place. Wilderness wide, campfires are allowed only between 6 p.m. and midnight. Be sure that campfires are doused thoroughly until cold to the touch.

DATE OF DETECTION: August 18, 2011

CAUSE: Lightning

CURRENT SIZE: approximately 4500 acres burned. Acreage is expected to increase today due to weather conditions.

LOCATION: Township 63 N, Range 9 W, Sections 30, 31, 32: approximately 14 miles east of Ely (within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness) in the Pagami Creek area between the South Kawishiwi River, Clearwater Lake, and Lake One.

AGENCY: Superior National Forest, Kawishiwi Ranger District

SMOKE CONDITIONS: Smoke may be heavy and wide spread depending on wind direction.

RESOURCES: The fire is now under the management of Type 2 Incident Management Team Hinds.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Phone (218) 365-3177

Internet: www.inciweb.org/incident/2534 Follow us on Twitter@inciweb

Pagami Creek Fire MONITORING PHASE September 8th Update

Pagami Creek Fire
                                                           For Immediate Release
                       September 8, 2011

Contact: Fire Information 218-365-3177

Pagami Creek Fire Transitions to Monitoring Phase

Ely, MN… The burn out operation conducted on the Pagami Creek Fire this past weekend was one part of the long term plan for managing the fire within the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness. The Interagency Incident Management Team was tasked with developing a short term strategy for reducing the threat of the Pagami Creek Fire to the Fernberg Corridor and residents living there. With the burn out completed it might be tempting to believe that the tactical fire operations are essentially complete, but firefighters are still on the ground working hard to implement the plan.

Firefighters at this stage of a fire are exposed to many risks. Active fire is still burning in the interior and pockets of unburned fuel can ignite rapidly throwing embers that can compromise the fire line. Patrolling the fire line means walking through areas where burned trees, also called snags, may fall at any time. Warmer temperatures this week will mean drier fuels and a greater risk of dehydration. Fighting fire from canoes means greater exposure to risks.

The number of firefighters working on the Pagami Creek Fire will begin to decrease over the next few days. While the numbers may decrease, the monitoring of the fire will not. The next phase of the long term management plan is to carefully watch the southern portion of the fire as it burns within the Wilderness. Wildfires provide many benefits to the ecosystem, including the natural creation of fuel breaks. As the Pagami Creek Fire moves south it may eventually reach the older burned areas of the Turtle and Gabbro fires. When resource managers are able to use fuel breaks created by earlier fires the need to expose firefighters to risk is reduced.

Today, crews on the Pagami Creek Fire will be focused on securing the fire line and identifying hazards that could make their work more dangerous. Hand firing may be used to burn out pockets of un-burned fuels close to the fire line. Ely area residents and visitors should expect to see and smell smoke from both the Pagami Creek Fire and several small fires that were detected in the past few days.  Paddlers in the Lakes One and Two area may continue to see aircraft and hear pumps running as the burn out operation transitions into mop up and monitoring. Public Safety crews will be on the lakes to talk with paddlers and escort them across the portages between Lakes One and Two.  

Paddlers are asked to maintain a safe distance from the shores affected by the fire. Trees with root systems damaged by the fire might fall at any time. Everyone is encouraged to remember that this area is particularly dry and to be careful with fire.

For additional information please call (218) 365-3177 or visit www.inciweb.org/incident/2534

Latest on Pagami Creek Fire September 7, 2011

Pagami Creek Fire

UPDATE: September 7, 2011

TODAY’S MESSAGE: Firefighters completed the burn out operation on the Pagami Creek Fire yesterday. Today crews will be focused on securing the fire line and identifying hazards that could make their work more dangerous. Hand firing may be used today to burn out pockets of un-burnt fuels close to the fire line. Ely area residents and visitors should expect to see and smell smoke from both the Pagami Creek Fire and several small fires that were detected in the past few days. Paddlers in the Lakes One and Two area may continue to see aircraft and hear pumps running as the burn out operation transitions into mop up and monitoring. Public Safety crews will be on the lakes to talk with paddlers and escort them across the portages between Lakes One and Two.
Paddlers are asked to maintain a safe distance from the shores affected by the fire. Trees with root systems damaged by the fire might fall at any time.

ACTIVITIES TODAY:
• Helicopters may be used to drop water on areas of the fire as part of mop up efforts.
• A variety of aerial resources will be used to monitor the fire.
• Crews will be patrolling the fire line and may be hand firing to remove remaining un-burnt fuel.

OUTLOOK: Firing operations were completed yesterday. Crews will begin mop up efforts today. Mop up includes looking for hot spots within the fire, patrolling the line looking for spots where fire could have crossed, and improving the line if needed. Dry weather trends are predicted into mid-September.

SAFETY: There are no imminent threats to public safety or private properties. Travel on the rarely used route between Lake Two and Clearwater Lake is not safe at this time. The portages between Lakes One and Two are open. Do not leave fires unattended and douse campfires thoroughly.

DATE OF DETECTION: August 18, 2011

CAUSE: Lightning

CURRENT SIZE: 1335 acres burned. Acreage should be expected to rise due to the burn out.

LOCATION: Township 63 N, Range 9 W, Sections 30, 31, 32: approximately 14 miles east of Ely (within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness) in the Pagami Creek area between the South Kawishiwi River, Clearwater Lake, and Lake One.

AGENCY: Superior National Forest, Kawishiwi Ranger District

STATUS: Surface fire and occasional group tree torching.

SMOKE CONDITIONS: Depending on wind directions, visitors may see and smell smoke.

RESOURCES: Minnesota Interagency Incident Management Team B is managing the fire with 103 personnel. Public safety crews are in place to provide contact with Wilderness visitors.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Phone (218) 365-3177
Internet: www.inciweb.org/incident/2534 Follow us on Twitter@inciweb