Wilderness News Online

Areas in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Superior National Forest closed to the public because of their proximity to the Pagami Creek Fire have been reopened thanks to cooler, wetter weather and increased containment of the blaze.

Minnesota Public Radio has the story HERE. The U.S. Forest Service’s announcement regarding the reopenings is HERE. A map depicting open and closed zones in the BWCAW and the Superior National Forest is HERE.

The reopenings leave only the BWCAW travel zones and non-wilderness Superior National Forest areas directly adjacent to the burned area — and the burned area itself — off limits to public travel. The Forest Service expects the areas directly affected by the fire to remain closed through the winter.

The 92,682 acre fire was deemed 91% contained on Monday, two months after the fire started with a lightning strike south of Lake One on August 18. Only a section of the fire-line between Ferne and Bog Lakes is still in need of containment.

The cost of the firefighting effort topped $21-million this week, according to officials.