Pagami Creek Fire created one positive spark:

[Lee Borgersen]

9/16/2011 2:26:00 PM  ......The Ely Echo
  
AT 2 a.m. Thursday night at Britton’s, Bonnie Anderson was busy making 650 sandwiches for hungry firefighters. The fire has given Britton’s extra business during what can be a slow time for the popular Ely restaurant. 
 
Fire provides financial boost

by Tom Coombe

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At least in Ely, the Pagami Creek Fire created one positive spark: an unintended boost to the local economy.

An influx of hundreds of firefighters and media from across the state and region, filled lodging establishments and restaurants and was responsible for some other sizeable retail sales in Ely this week.

"There is a definite economic impact," said Linda Fryer, administrative director of the Ely Chamber of Commerce.

How big? No vacancy signs were spotted, along with a bevy of U.S. Forest Service vehicles, outside several area lodging establishments Wednesday and Thursday.

Fryer said that canoe outfitters have also seen a boost.

"They're packing supplies and food for them I think, and it's been spread around to a lot of different outfitters," said Fryer. "If there's a positive out of this it's the economic impact."

At Canadian Waters, preparing food for firefighters became a tall order.

"We've already had orders for food for this fire, probably a total of 120 in the past month, but I'll be here all night on this order," said Ryan Waters.

Canadian Waters received an order to prepare food packs for 100 people for seven days. And to increase the meals by 50 percent for hungry firefighters.

"That's a lot of food to prepare but we'll get it done," said Waters.

All indications are that firefighters, some who will be camping and in need of outfitting while in the wilderness and others who require lodging in town, will be in the area for several weeks if not longer.

Firefighting crews have arrived in Ely from across the country.

According to the Forest Service, there are crews here from Minnesota, New Jersey, Montana, Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and California.

These crews come prepared to fight fires with the standard Nomex clothing, easily recognizable by the yellow shirts and green pants.

But, a number of them were not prepared for temperatures that dropped as low as 25 degrees this past week.

The Ely Surplus Store did a brisk business on warm weather clothing, from jackets to hats to chamois shirts for firefighters who came here from warmer climates.

Many of the firefighters will spend the bulk of their time camping in the Boundary Waters, fighting the fire on the ground as planes and helicopters attack from the air.

Local fire departments are being hired to work on the fire as well. Both the Ely and Morse-Fall Lake fire departments were doing contract hourly work on the fire last week.

Morse-Fall Lake fire chief Ted Krueger said his department will have billed over $10,000 worth of work so far.

"We've been hauling water for fire crews who are running hose lines into the woods creating fire lines," said Krueger.