Fire burns 31 acres of island on Lake Three

[Lee Borgersen]

   
 
 
Fire burns 31 acres of island on Lake Three

by Nick Wognum.......Ely Echo

A fire that can be seen from the end of the Fernberg Road has burned 31 acres as of Thursday afternoon.

Known as the Horseshoe Island Fire, the blaze started on Sunday, June 12 on Lake Three in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Nearly half of Horseshore Island and almost all of an adjacent island have burned so far, according to Tracy Richards of the U.S. Forest Service.

All portages remain open in the area, however three campsites on the south end of Lake Three are closed.

"We do have a fire crew keeping an eye on it and our pilots are taking note as well," said Richards.

The fire is being allowed to burn, although Richards said different areas of the fire may be treated differently under new USFS policies.

"We have a new way we can work with fire; you can manage different parts of the fire differently. It's a wildfire being managed in various ways," said Richards.

Unless things change, the fire will be allowed to burn on Horseshoe Island. If the flames were to jump on to the mainland, the Forest Service may decide to put it out.

"Depending on where it jumped and what's going on in that area, we could still manage it, just monitor it or put it out," said Richards.

The Forest Service is telling visitors to stay clear of the two islands, although travel through the Lake Three area is still allowed.

With low winds and humid conditions, the fire "continues to creep" and fire activity is low.

Richards said about half of Horseshoe Island has burned while patches on the island are still green. The adjacent island has mostly burned.

Information on the fire and campsite closures is being posted at the Lake One and Snowbank Lake entry points.
 
 


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[FireRanger]

Nature has it's own way of dealing with regeneration/renewal....unless it is threatening private property/life safety....stand back and enjoy the raw power of life.