ELY, Minn. – More access points to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness were closed as wildfires continued out of control on the Canadian side and at some Minnesota points near Ely. Campsites, portages and trails north and northwest of Ely have been cut off. Efforts have been made to contact campers already in the pristine and remote area, said Forest Service spokesperson Bob Reif, but he noted logistical issues. There are no cell towers in the Boundary Waters. “Travel time to those areas, if you’re paddling — we’re talking about days, not hours,” he said. North of the border in Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park, fires continued unchecked in timberland that’s tinder-dry due to drought. Cecile Stelter, a Forest Service spokesperson, said that Canadian fire crews are strained. “They have a lot of fires, larger fires that are threatening life and property to the north,” she said. The fires nearest the border together have burned more than 4,000 acres. U.S. surveillance flights have been monitoring the Quetico fires and passing information on to Canadian crews.
Red dots. These are closed campsites on the U.S. side of the Canada border.
Off limits
Forest rangers are on-the-ground trying to locate and alert campers to evacuate:
> Lake Agnes.
> Chippewa Lake.
> Fourtown Lake.
> Ge-be-on-e-quet Lake.
> Gun Lake.
> Horse Lake.
> Hustler Lake.
> Jackfish Lake.
> Lac la Croix.
> Loon Lake.
> Oyster Lake.
> Ramshead Lake.
> Shell Lake,.
> Sterling Lake.
> Sterling Lake.
> Sundial Pristine Management Area 1-5).
> Weeny Pristine Management Area.
> White Feather Lake.