Crews still monitoring Horse River fire in BWCAW, public safety a priority
Firefighters with the U.S. Forest Service are actively monitoring a small fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that ignited on Thursday, May 22.
The Horse River fire has burned approximately 9 acres as of Tuesday, and fire officials say it was caused by a lightning strike.
The fire is located in a remote area of the BWCAW northwest of Basswood Lake and Jackfish Bay. The Horse River fire is approximately 1.5 miles south of the United States and Canadian border.
Horse River fire in BWCAW
On Tuesday, fire officials reported that the fire continues to smolder and creep.
“Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority, along with wilderness values and cultural values,” the Forest Service said. “A new team of public safety wilderness rangers are paddling into the fire area today.”
When natural causes ignite a fire in the BWCAW, and it does not pose a threat to public safety, the Forest Service will monitor and assess the fire. If suppression efforts are necessary, then fire management operations will adjust accordingly.
Eight firefighters are actively monitoring and assessing different strategies for confining the fire with natural features on the landscape, fire officials said. Additional firefighters will be deployed into the remote area by canoe in the coming days.
The Horse River fire is burning in a mixed boreal forest with pine trees, birch, and aspen with limited areas of blowdown. Fire officials said ground access to the remote location is “very poor.”
An emergency forest closure order is in the process to close the Winter Route Trail (mushing trail) between Jackfish Bay and Lower Basswood Falls. As of Tuesday, Basswood River and Horse River travel routes are open, and campsites on the Basswood River are open.
BWCAW paddlers are advised to stay away from the area for safety reasons, forest service officials said Tuesday.
“For public safety, the public should move directly through the area and be aware that conditions could change,” the Forest Service said.
Kalli Hawkins May 27, 2025
