Campfires banned in parts of BWCA

by Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — Campfires will be banned in the blowdown area of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, starting at midnight tonight.

Campers can't build fires or use charcoal stoves in the blowdown area because of dry conditions, and a lot of dead wood still on the ground from a massive storm in 1999. The heavy fuels pose a high risk of big wildfires.

Maps of the region are available at National Forest Service offices and on its Web site.

Also, the Forest Service is closing the Kekekabic Trail east of Disappointment Lake and the Border Route Trail with its connecting trails.

The restrictions will continue until further notice.