Evacuation training set for May 23 on the Gunflint Trail

The Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department will be running its annual evacuation drill from approximately from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 23.

The event, which is a simulated response to a natural disaster or other emergency situation, will be in the Gunflint Lake area this year.

There will be numerous fire trucks and first responders on scene. Sirens will be going and personnel will be dressed as though they are responding to an emergency. However, Tuesday is a scheduled evacuation drill planned by the Gunflint Trail Fire Department.

A busy fire season in 2021 in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness led to a number of closures near the Gunflint Trail. In August 2021, residents of the Gunflint Trail were on an evacuation notice as fires burned closed to the popular scenic byway.

WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke with Ruth Wagner, a member of the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department, about Tuesday’s planned event. Other topics discussed include a prescribed fire May 12 that was started by the U.S. Forest Service. The Forest Service lost control of the prescribed fire and it ultimately jumped across the Gunflint on a hot, dry afternoon. Members of the Gunflint Fire Department assisted with the containment of the fire. Listen to the full interview in the audio shared below.

Joe Friedrichs May 22, 2023