Forest Service resumes burning brush piles in Gunflint and Tofte Districts

This week, the U.S. Forest Service resumed brush pile burning operations in the Gunflint and Tofte Districts within the Superior National Forest.

The Gunflint and Tofte Ranger Stations began burning piles on Tuesday, Nov. 12. For the Gunflint District, fire crews burned piles between Hungry Jack Lake and West Bearskin Lake, as well as piles around the Flour Lake area.

“We may begin burning the area Firewise brush disposal pits too,” said Mike Crook, a Forest Service forestry technician for the Superior National Forest East Zone.

Crook said fire crews in the Tofte District will burn piles on Cramer Road near Crooked Lake and some timber sale piles north of Tomahawk Rd. “We hope to burn some of the piles closer to Isabella at a later date,” he said.

Yesterday, fire crews burned approximately 12 acres. Crews returned mid-morning on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Operations will continue until about 3 p.m. today.

“There are 176 acres of piles, but we may not get to all the piles on the landscape today,” Crook said.

Nearby property owners and the public may see smoke in the immediate vicinity. Personnel will be present during fire operations to monitor smoke and provide traffic control. Firefighters will monitor piles until they are declared out and signs will be posted on roadways near burning.

Crook said burning operations may continue near Hungry Jack Lake on Thursday, Nov. 14, dependent upon weather conditions.

Fire crews will return to the Cramer Rd on Nov. 14 to resume pile burning in the Tofte Ranger District. Burning is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service, light rain is expected this evening and overnight.

A map of the prescribed burning near Hungry Jack Lake is below:

Kalli Hawkins November 13, 2024