Today was a considerably calmer day than Thursday was on the Gunflint Trail. I listened to the 7:00 P.M. community briefing via WTIP's live webcast and the exact quote from the forest service spokesman was "very good day from a weather standpoint". It was a surprisingly short briefing and since I'm not up there, I often couldn't be sure what he was talking about since I couldn't see the map he was pointing to. A couple things that were clear:
- No deaths or injuries so far.
- No known structure losses during Thursday or by 7:00 PM on Friday.
- 134 structures have been lost so far by latest count. 62 of those are cabins/residences.
- Mop-up progressed well up in the Seagull/Saganaga area.
- The finger of fire that shot south from the SE side of Gunflint Lake had reached into the wilderness area south of Rush Lake, but there were no known structures losses in the area south of where it hopped the Gunflint.
As far as Friday went, it was all good news this evening. They cautioned however that everyone up there was still at the mercy of the weather and the fire remained very dangerous.
Finding up-to-date info on this fire is a bit like finding which shell has the pea under it. Sometimes it's MNICS, sometimes the newspapers, sometimes the local and Grand Marais sites, and tonight it looks like Inciweb has it. That's just a statement of fact and not a criticism. The briefers acknowledged that this evening and they are trying to improve the communication of info to the public. They are working in tough and sometimes rapidly changing conditions though. I'm sure the communication priorities are first the crews, then the locals and media, and then people who have their butts planted far away but want to know, like me. No problem with that from here.
I found the best text description of the current status earlier with a time stamp of 2000 hours at Inciweb.
Current Status: Power has been restored to the Incident Command Post and fire camp at Seagull Guard Station. The fire is bumping up to the Rush Lake on the south. Heavy smoke at the east end of Loon Lake and limited access is hampering structural protection efforts. Today, fire suppression forces focused on structural protection for homes and businesses on Gunflint, Loon, and Poplar lakes, and along the Gunflint Trail.
Cook County has completed their initial assessment of structures lost. In the first few days, 134 structures were lost with an estimated value of $3.7 million.
The Canadian Incident Management Team is taking action on the portion of the fire in Canada; American aerial resources are being utilized in the unified effort.
For public safety reasons, a mandatory evacuation order was issued by Cook County Sheriff Mark Falk for the Gunflint Lake and Loon Lake areas early yesterday afternoon. Highway 12 is closed from Poplar Lake Fire Hall (Gunflint #1) to the end of Gunflint Trail.
There was little growth on the north, west, or southwest flanks of the fire. No structures have been reported lost for yesterday; however, an assessment continues by emergency personnel. An estimated 200 residences and over 20 commercial operations remain threatened.
Resources: Crews: 16 Helicopters: 8 Engines: 41 Water tenders: 3 Dozers: 7 Available upon Demand: Medium Air Tankers 3 Heavy Air tankers - 2 Personnel: 657. Additional resources continue to arrive.
Plan for Saturday: Fire spread to the west and east toward residences and resorts is a major concern for fire suppression forces. Winds will switch to the southeast pushing the finger of fire south of Gunflint Lake toward the urban interface along Loon Lake and the south side of Gunflint Lake. The priority for suppression resources will be further securing and holding containment lines, and continued structure protection in the Gunflint, Loon, and Poplar lakes areas, and along the west end of Gunflint Trail. Aviation resources will continue to be utilized.
(more details at the link)
Nearly half the fire is on the Canadian side of the border now. I didn't find much info except that it is being referred to as "Thunder Bay 37". One recent media link is here:
Ministry officials say in just half a day, Thunder Bay 37 has grown from 200 hectares to more than 10,000. The fire is still being classified as out of control and officials say it could turn in any direction. Erratic wind conditions have forced MNR waterbombers out of the sky temporarily and it will be some time before they can figure out the best point of attack. It's anticipated that Thunder Bay 37 will continue to burn for quite some time and evacuations in the area are being considered. Ministry spokesperson Dave Jackson says some area residents have already been put on notice.
''We're now dealing with Northern Light Lake. We're talking to a resort owner there. We're talking to individuals that are in the area. We're putting them on what's called an evacuation alert and that's giving them a 12 to 24 hour notice that they may be asked to leave'' Jackson said.
We'll have to see how much more info we get on Canadian efforts. The wrong wind could bring that part of the fire right back across the border again.
For pics, quite a few have been posted now at boreal.org.
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