Boundary Waters Fire
September 14, 2011
A massive wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota has burned across about 100,000 acres. Firefighters are trying to contain the blaze.
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In BWCA, new growth blooms even as hot spots still burn
More than a month after the Pagami Creek Fire ripped through a slice of the most popular area in the canoe area, signs of life are beginning to show.October 20, 2011
BWCA Pagami Creek wildfire scar visible from space
The "burn scar" from the massive Pagami Creek Fire is clearly visible form NASA's Landsat-5 satellite in orbit high above earth.October 18, 2011- Costs of fighting BWCA forest fire reach $21M
Officials say the costs of fighting a huge forest fire in and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area have reached $21 million.October 17, 2011 
Windy, cool weather helps and hinders BWCA firefighters
Closures for areas adjacent to the Pagami Creek Fire remain in place this weekend despite the blaze is now being 90 percent contained.October 15, 2011- Pagami fire costs going up
On Wednesdays, we check in with one of our reporters based outside the Twin Cities to find out what's going on in that part of Minnesota. For the past several weeks our Duluth reporter Dan Kraker has been covering the Pagami Creek Fire, still burning in the Boundary Waters. He's also gearing up for a royal visit.October 12, 2011 - Officials watching tiny forest fire in Voyageurs park
A fire is burning in Voyageurs National Park, but it's so small and remote that officials are just keeping an eye on it.October 10, 2011 
Humidity helps firefighters in northern Minn.
Officials at the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center say the clouds that covered skies throughout much of northern part of the state this weekend helped contain fires.October 9, 2011- Winds whip up fires across Minnesota
Statewide fire restrictions took effect Friday, including bans on campfires, as an extended lack of rain, unusually warm temperatures and high winds combined to create explosive conditions across Minnesota.October 8, 2011 
Photos: Ojibwe crews tackle the BWCA wildfire
It's now October, almost two months since the Pagami Creek Fire started burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness southeast of Ely, Minn. An Ojibwe crew from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in Michigan is now working the fireline, with the blaze about 71 percent contained.October 7, 2011- National Guard to fight blaze in northwestern MN
The Minnesota National Guard will help fight a blaze in the northwestern corner of the state, near the city of Greenbush in Roseau County.October 6, 2011 - Hot, dry conditions slow containment of BWCA fire
Crews in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area will be facing hot and dry conditions for the rest of the week as they work to fight the Pagami Creek fire, which is still 71 percent contained.October 6, 2011 
Fresh aircraft dispatched to fight Boundary Waters fire
Two water-scooping aircraft from Arizona on Tuesday will join the crews fighting the Pagami Creek Fire burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, as dry winds are expected over the area in coming days.October 4, 2011- Cost of fighting BWCA forest fire reaches $14M
A fresh command team takes over Monday against a forest fire in northeastern Minnesota.October 3, 2011 
As BWCA fire dies, call for controlled burns is renewed
Advocates say more controlled burns are the best way to balance the benefits and danger of fires, but the National Forest says they try to let the forest's natural processes work on their own.September 29, 2011- Map: The Boundary Waters fire
This map shows the perimeter of the fire currently burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, as well as closed entry points.September 14, 2011 
BWCA wildfire fighting costs $11 million to date
The effort to contain the Pagami Creek wildfire burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has cost $11 million to date, according to officials battling the 93,000-acre blaze.September 28, 2011
Iron Range DFLers want state to sue USFS over BWCA fire
A group of five DFL state legislators from the Iron Range is asking the DNR and the Minnesota Attorney General to sue the U.S. Forest Service over its management of the Pagami Creek Fire, which is still burning in the Boundary Waters.September 27, 2011
Officials hope BWCA fire will be contained by Saturday
Superior National Forest officials say they hope to have the huge Pagami Creek fire fully contained by the end of the day Saturday.September 26, 2011
With BWCA wildfire 53 percent contained, officials plan for wilderness rehab
As firefighters slowly contain the 93,500-acre blaze, officials are starting to think about ways to rehabilitate wilderness land damaged by the fire-fighting effort.September 26, 2011
Forest managers defend decisions in BWCA fire
Rains in northeastern Minnesota have muffled the Pagami Creek fire for the time being. Forest managers are using the breathing space to look back at how they've handled the fire so far -- and to justify their actions to local critics.September 22, 2011
BWCA fire slowly being contained
The Pagami Creek fire in northeastern Minnesota is now 35 percent contained. The fire is expected to burn quietly through the weekend, as the ground takes time to dry out from recent rain.September 23, 2011- Buoyed by cool, wet weather, firefighters tackle north side of BWCA blaze
Firefighters on the Pagami Creek fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness are slogging through another wet, chilly day.September 22, 2011 
Rain slows BWCA blaze, stalls firefighters' efforts
New rain in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is helping suppress the Pagami Creek fire, but it also put an early end to Wednesday's efforts to contain the blaze.September 21, 2011
Wet, cool weather a boon to BWCA firefighters
Wet weather is helping firefighters strengthen their grip on the Pagami Creek fire, which has now burned for more than a month in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.September 20, 2011
Oufitters say it's business as usual in Boundary Waters area
Heavy rain is expected to keep the massive Pagami Creek wildfire contained, and some businesses and outfitters in Ely and the surrounding area want their customers to know that the Boundary Waters remains open for business.September 20, 2011
Boundary Waters firefighters boost Ely's economy
There's a silver lining to the smoky cloud billowing off the 147-square-mile Pagami Creek wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area WildernessSeptember 19, 2011
On this Boundary Waters trip, her family learned about compassion and overcoming fear
They were among the last families to be removed from the area affected by the fire.September 21, 2011
Before the Boundary Waters fire: Your photographs
Photos of the burn area in the Boundary Waters before the Pagami Creek fire started.September 15, 2011- N. Minn. residents question fire management policies
The Pagami Creek wildfire is now 23 percent contained, permanent residents evacuated a week ago have been allowed to return, and parts of the Boundary Waters that had been closed are open again. But that doesn't mean everyone's happy.September 19, 2011 
'Hotshots' adapt to watery wilderness of BWCA wildfire
Elite western "hotshot" firefighters have a lot of expertise in arid and mountainous terrain, but the Pagami Creek Fire in the Boundary Waters presents challenges many of them have never faced.September 16, 2011
Photos: BWCA firefighting grows more complex
Efforts to control the unpredictable Pagami Creek Fire in northeastern Minnesota have entered a more aggressive phase, and special team from the northern Rocky Mountains has arrived in Ely to take over its management.September 16, 2011
Boundary Waters fire 11 percent contained
Fire officials in Ely say the massive Boundary Waters Canoe Area wildfire is now 11 percent contained. That's up from 8 percent at the start of the day Saturday.September 18, 2011
Optimism rising as crews work to contain BWCA fire
Wildfire in northern Minnesota is now 8 percent contained after several weeks of burning out of control.September 16, 2011
Dayton pledges support for homeowners affected by BWCA fire
The governor said today the state will do whatever it can to protect homes threatened by the fire. Officials also warned the blaze would "wake up" in coming days as dryer conditions take hold.September 16, 2011
Biologists: BWCA fire will help moose habitat
Count Minnesota's moose experts among those quietly celebrating the fire that has burned more than 150 square miles in the Boundary Waters.September 16, 2011
Minnesota forest fire stalls in cooler weather
A forest fire that smoldered for nearly a month on the Minnesota-Canada border before exploding this week to cover nearly 160 square miles is laying bare old disagreements over the best way to manage wildfire.September 16, 2011- Rocky Mountain team takes over Pagami Creek fire management
The size and scope of fighting the Pagami Creek wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is growing by leaps and bounds.September 15, 2011 
Boundary Waters fire a positive for ecology
It's the biggest fire the Boundary Waters have seen in more than a century. But historically, big forest fires used to be commonplace in that area. In fact, they're part of a natural process that rejuvenates the ecosystem.September 15, 2011
BWCA fire pauses with help from weather
Rain, cooler temperatures and even a few snow showers helped more than 300 firefighters on Wednesday as they continued to struggle to get a handle on the Pagami Creek wildfire.September 15, 2011
BWCA Pagami Creek Fire slows its spread
Calmer winds and cooler temperatures are helping slow the spread of a fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.September 14, 2011
Pagami Creek Fire in BWCA now estimated at 100,000 acres
The Pagami Creek Fire that started in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has now engulfed about 100,000 acres, prompting officials to consider more evacuations.September 14, 2011
Photos: The Pagami Creek fire in NE Minn.
A forest fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness exploded in size in recent days as weather conditions have done little to slow its growth.September 13, 2011
Pagami fire smoke visible deep into Wis., Mich.
Some people in northeastern Wisconsin are smelling smoke from a wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota.September 13, 2011
'Precautionary evacuation' for residents, campers near BWCA Pagami Creek Fire
Smoke is obscuring so much of the ground that pilots are unable to give an accurate description of how much land has been burned.September 13, 2011- Residents being asked to evacuate as wind gusts fuel wildfire in northeastern Minn.
Residents and campers near the Boundary Waters fire are being asked to evacuate as a wildfire burning in northeastern Minnesota continues to grow.September 12, 2011 - Pagami Creek fire in BWCA grows to 11,000 acres
The Pagami Creek fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness grew from 4,500 acres to 11,000 acres over the weekend.September 12, 2011 - Closures ordered as BWCA forest fire grows
A forest fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area near Ely has grown to about 4,500 acres.September 11, 2011 
Haze, smoke in Twin Cities likely from N. Minn. forest fires
Fires burning in northern Minnesota appear to be causing hazy skies and foul-smelling air across the Twin Cities metro area this afternoon.September 9, 2011- Firefighters mopping up fire in BWCA near Ely
Firefighters were mopping up Wednesday at the scene of a forest fire near Ely in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area but officials warned that conditions in the area are expected to remain dry due to a drought so paddlers need to be careful with their campfires.September 7, 2011 - Firefighters work to control Pagami Fire in Boundary Waters
More than 100 firefighters are working to control a wildfire burning in the Boundary Waters wilderness area east of Ely.September 6, 2011 - BWCA Pagami Creek Fire being left to burn
Lightning ignited the Pagami Creek Fire on Aug. 18. It smoldered for a week, then low humidity and higher winds caused it to quickly grow.September 2, 2011
FROM MINNESOTA TODAY
Parts of BWCA to reopen today | Minnesota Public Radio
Op-Ed: Allow logging of downed BWCA trees | Ely Echo
Some accesses reopen near Pagami Creek wildfire area | KSTP
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