Forest Service to host virtual presentation on Quetico and BWCA fires

The United State Forest Service is hosting a virtual event tonight (July 21) to share current information about the Delta Lake Fire burning in and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The Forest Service will also share updates on wildfires burning inside Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario and why those active fires led to closures for a large section of the BWCA.

The event starts at 6 p.m. The virtual event is open to the public on the Superior National Forest Facebook page.

In addition to current conditions regarding active wildfires, Forest Service staff will discuss ongoing fire suppression and planning efforts in the BWCA this summer.

Among the presenters sharing information is Connie Cummins, the forest supervisor for Superior National Forest and the BWCA.

In related news, the Delta Lake Fire continues to be the only actively managed fire inside the BWCA at this time. It is now 50 percent contained and 62 acres in size, according to the Forest Service.

Across the border, there are seven fires burning Quetico, across from the BWCA. Within the past week, Forest Service officials have announced closures in the BWCA due to the threat of active wildfires in the region. There is also a campfire ban in place across most of Superior National Forest and the entire BWCA at this time.

During Wednesday’s event, Stewart Turner, incident meteorologist for the Forest Service specific to the fires burning near and in the BWCA, said the agency’s concern are “Canadian fires that still have fire on the landscape, uncontrolled fire on the landscape, and that’s going to continue until the end of fire season.”

The audio below is Turner speaking during the virtual event July 21.

WTIP Staff July 21, 2021