Wildfire flares west of Tofte in Superior National Forest
A wildfire flared Wednesday afternoon outside a prescribed burn area in the Superior National Forest about 25 to 30 miles west of Tofte, Minn.
Forest Service managers said the fire was spotted outside the prescribed burn worked by crews in the 72-acre Fry Unit, north of Hwy. 1, east of Fish Fry Lake and west of Little Isabella River Campground.
The Forest Service wrote in an email that neither the size of the fire is known nor the threat to nearby structures. Crews are using air and ground resources to fight the blaze. Drones also will be used to assess the fire.
"This is still evolving and suppression is ongoing," wrote agency spokesperson Joy VanDrie.
The agency has several planned prescribed burns this spring to reduce dangerous fuel loads, some created by factors like spruce budworm, which has killed off balsam firs.
The Forest Service burned 159 acres Wednesday in the Slim Lake South Unit northwest of Ely and Burntside Lake and partly within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A BWCAW entry point and portage were closed during the burn. Crews recently finished a 390-acre burn off the Gunflint Trail.
Check back at startribune.com for updates. The Forest Service also posts news on the Superior National Forest's Facebook page.
