Well, a controlled burn over south of the Crab Lake (Battle, Phantom etc) that started on nearby Foss Lake got away from the FS crew and Crab Lake is currently being evacuated and the entry is closed!

I'm am frantically trying to find permits that are still open for people who were going in that area as Crab will be closed for some time until they are sure it is out.

This is a notice for anyone who has a permit for #4 Crab Lake coming up any time soon!

Yikes! We almost booked that entry too!

Lynn - how does LIS look in terms of fire?

See you tomorrow afternoon.

No problem. The wind should die down a bit and hopefully they get it under control soon.

From what I could see from my house, there was a huge black plume which may indicate a structure fire that would have been very close to Coo Lake and Crab Portage. This smoke is directly west of the middle of Long Island.

Just check the permit website and so far this is what I see:

Crab Lake is "c" for closed May 21, 22, 23, 24

#7 Big Moose - closed for May 21, 22, 23

#9 Little Indian Sioux South - closed May 21, 22, 23


It looks like (hopdfully) that they figure it will be taken care of by the 25th for Crab Lake entry but that can change to later or ??

quote MNLindsey80: "Yikes! We almost booked that entry too!


Lynn - how does LIS look in terms of fire?


See you tomorrow afternoon."

You were asking about LIS north, correct?

quote VoyageurNorth: "No problem. The wind should die down a bit and hopefully they get it under control soon."

I agree,I see it is 448 acres size now.

This doesn't affect me but thanks for posting, and I'm sure everyone here appreciates the work you're doing trying to scramble some permits.

Thanks Maxxbhp!

Just trying to keep my customers safe & with places to go now.

And since this is a good way to contact a lot of all the other people who might be going to the same area.

quote VoyageurNorth: "

quote MNLindsey80: "Yikes! We almost booked that entry too!



Lynn - how does LIS look in terms of fire?



See you tomorrow afternoon."

You were asking about LIS north, correct?"

Yes NORTH - we're heading towards Shell/Lynx/Hustler. The chatroom folks almost gave me a heart attack just now saying LIS was closed... but I see now its LIS South.

We'll talk tomorrow. We're staying with you guys overnight tomorrow night.

quote MNLindsey80: "

quote VoyageurNorth: "

quote MNLindsey80: "Yikes! We almost booked that entry too!



Lynn - how does LIS look in terms of fire?



See you tomorrow afternoon."

You were asking about LIS north, correct?"

Yes NORTH - we're heading towards Shell/Lynx/Hustler. The chatroom folks almost gave me a heart attack just now saying LIS was closed... but I see now its LIS South.


We'll talk tomorrow. We're staying with you guys overnight tomorrow night."

Oops!

quote VoyageurNorth: "Well, a controlled burn over south of the Crab Lake (Battle, Phantom etc) that started on nearby Foss Lake got away from the FS crew and Crab Lake is currently being evacuated and the entry is closed!

I'm am frantically trying to find permits that are still open for people who were going in that area as Crab will be closed for some time until they are sure it is out.

This is a notice for anyone who has a permit for #4 Crab Lake coming up any time soon!"

Well that was a great idea........dry as can be a do a 'controlled burn' ? same guys in charge that were overseeing the Pagami fire.?

dr bob

Have a friend who lives on Burntside and she says the area is a lot quieter right now which means, I would suppose, they aren't using aircraft at this time.

Just received from Ely Forest Service,

Date Issued: May 19, 2016 at 9:30 p.m.

Fire Information: 218-208-4544 and updates will be posted on inciweb@nwcg.gov

Location and Size: Township 63 N, Range 14 W, Section 26.

This fire is located 6 miles from Ely, MN in St. Louis County, one mile west of the southwestern edge of Burntside Lake, north of Foss Lake, south of Crab Lake. It is burning north into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). There is no estimate on the size at this time. An estimate will be made tomorrow morning when smoke has dissipated. No control or containment estimates at this time.

Description: The fire has laid down for the night. With decreasing winds and higher relative humidity aircraft made good progress checking the growth of the fire on both the east, west and north sides. There was no growth to the south. Aircraft and ground crews will continue to work tomorrow to reinforce today’s progress. Additional crews and resources will also be arriving to assist with management of the fire.

Message: There is no threat to the towns of Ely, Winton, Tower or Soudan. No structures are threatened. Good fuel reduction work completed in the last two years on Burntside increases fire fighters ability to manage the eastern edge.
Resources: 8 aircraft worked the fire this afternoon with success. 40 crews are on scene.

Closures:
? One BWCAW Entry Point: #4 Crab Lake is closed at this time. All other BWCAW Entry Points remain open. An area closure including BWCAW lakes west of Burntside Lake, south of Cummings Lake and east of Trout Lake is planned.

? A list of lakes included in the closure area and a map will be published tomorrow on inciweb@nwcg.gov
Forest

Thanks, Lynn! How many folks never realize the many and various services that an excellent outfitting organization provides?

latest from InciWeb

Crap. We are going into big moose the 25th. I have my red card. Maybe ill bring my fire boots and nomex!

Thanks Lynn for the info and your extra effort! We are scheduled to enter at Crab on 5/29 and appreciate you helping to make sure we have other options available to us!

Thanks Moray! And to Revil63, they just opened up the permits for #7 and #9 again. But still not for Crab Lake.

The Forest Service & Chamber of Commerce reached out to us for lodging for some of the out of town firefighters, so we'll have 20-25 of them here in 2 of our rental houses, for at least 2 nights.

Good to hear, thanks Lynn.

Awesome that you're housing the fire fighters!

There were 9 fire crews from around the country called in for the fire.

Montana crew and the CC group are here.

Now we have 29 (20 regular fire crew and 9 Conservation Corps staying tonight.

First 20 just came back & they look beat. So glad they are all here helping with the fire, our hats are off to them for their hard work.

So what is the status of the fire now?

Damn-I just reserved a permit for June 10th. Hopefully it will reopen by then. Wouldn't mind seeing the aftermath. Love that area. There are some neat historical sites over there-hopefully left unscathed?

Just saw The Vermilion fire boat heading out towards Crab Portage again. (11:00)

************
The above posted from one of my FB "friends". so thought I'd share. I do know we have the 29 firefighters staying here for at least 2-3 more days or more.

40 or so fire fighters came in while we are at Rockwood tonight.

New message from Kawishiwi Station this evening:


Dear Kawishiwi Cooperators and Forest Service Staff:

Tomorrow the holding lines of the Foss Lake Fire are expected to be tested with stronger winds from the south/southwest. Fire crews made good progress today and found limited hot spots; however, we are erring on the side of caution. We do not recommend the following BWCAW travel tomorrow and until further notice:
• Entry Point From Big Lake: travel south of LaPond Lake
• Entry Point From Moose/Portage River South: south of Big Moose Lake
• Entry Point From Little Indian Sioux South: south of Bootleg Lake
• Entry Point From Slim Lake: travel from Hook into Big Rice
• Travel on the North Arm Trails
• Travel into Cummings Lake is not recommended
• Travel south out of Cummings Lake remains prohibited by Forest Order #R9-09-16-02.
• These entry points were posted with these recommendations today.
Please call me with any questions using the Foss Lake Fire Information number: 218-208-4544.

Becca

This message is from the Ely Ranger Station as well as the Incident Commander - Brian Pisarek


Foss Lake Fire AM Update
Saturday, May 21, 2016, 11:00 a.m.
MNICS Team C, Brian Pisarek, Incident Commander
Fire Information
Web address: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4740/# Email: FossLakeFireInfo@gmail.com
Phone: 218-208-4544 Location: US Forest Service office, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely, open 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Fire Start Date: May 19, 2016 Size: approximately 440 acres Containment: 10 percent
Current Situation: A Minnesota type 2 incident management team took command of the fire this morning. Today they will work closely with the firefighters and managers who have been fighting the fire the past two days. Yesterday crews constructed fireline and installed hoselays along the east and west sides of the fire’s south end. A hotshot crew camped on Crab Lake last night and today will work on the north end of the fire. Eventually they will meet up with crews working from the south. Aircraft assisted ground crews by dropping water and retardant on the fire, particularly on the east side. Retardant has been dropped along the entire length of the east edge to limit fire growth toward Burntside Lake. Local firefighters from the Lake Vermilion Fire Brigade and Morse/Fall Lake Fire Department, using their two fire boats, have been conducting structure-protection assessments of residences on the west end of Burntside Lake and will continue that work today. There are 80 personnel and 5 aircraft on the fire.
RED FLAG WARNING
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for dry conditions for St. Louis County that is effect until 8 p.m. Saturday, May 21.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Today will be warm and dry again with the temperature reaching the high 70s and the relative humidity dropping as low as 16 percent. Light afternoon winds will be from the southwest with gusts not expected to top 10 mph. Fire-behavior analysts expect fire activity to be light today. However, strong winds are predicted for tomorrow, which could potentially increase fire behavior. With the weather change in mind, crews will prioritize the east side of the fire for their fire-suppression efforts today. The earliest chance of rain over the fire area is Monday.
Safety Message: The towns of Ely, Winton, Tower, or Soudan are not threatened, nor are any structures. Fire managers are planning for Sunday’s strong winds and red-flag-warning conditions. Residents on the west side of Burntside Lake should be aware of changing weather conditions.
Location: The fire is located 10 miles west of Ely, MN, in St. Louis County, one mile west of the southwestern edge of Burntside Lake, north of Foss Lake, and south of Crab Lake. The fire is burning north within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).
Closures: Currently, just one BWCAW entry point is closed: entry point #4 Crab Lake. All other entry points remain open. The following BWCAW portages and lakes, including campsites, are closed:
• Crab Lake BWCAW entry point and portage from Burntside Lake to Crab Lake
• Crab, Boulder, Phantom, Battle, Sprite, Meat, Clark, Glimmer, Hassle, Saca, Little Crab, Korb, Maxine, Barefoot, Little Jig, Silaca, Coxey Pond, Lunetta, Schlamn, Soroll, Glenmore, Western, Blick, Chad, Dugout, and Pine Lakes and associated portage trails
• Cummings Lake portage from Cummings Lake to Korb Lake and Cummings Lake to Korb River
• Pine Creek East of Trout Lake
• Pine Lake portage from Trout Lake to Pine Lake
Closure signs will be posted at normal points of access to delineate the closure area. The closure order and map are located at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4740

I posted this also on the "Certain entry points not open, but if you are following this thread, here goes. Looks like we may get some rain & humidity today which should help! So, as of May 22, at 8 pm....

***************

Foss Lake Fire PM Update: 22 May 2016

Incident: Foss Lake Fire Wildfire
Released: 10 hrs. ago
Foss Lake Fire PM Update
Sunday, May 22, 2016, 8:00 p.m.
MNICS Team C, Brian Pisarek, Incident Commander
Fire Information

Web address: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4740/#
Email: FossLakeFireInfo@gmail.com
Phone: 218-365-2094 (new number)
Location: US Forest Service, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely, open 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Size: 1008 acres Containment: 30 percent Fire Start Date: May 19, 2016
Resources: 9 crews, 2 helicopter, 4 engines, 1 water tender, 259 total personnel
Current Situation: Strong south winds and 25-mph gusts tested the flanks today. Minimal growth (approximately 7 acres) occurred near the portage between Crab and Clark Lakes. Firefighters on the ground, assisted by two CL-415s (water bombers), kept the fire in check. South of Clark Lake, also on the west side of the fire, a hotshot crew and a Chinook helicopter worked to suppress active fire. The east side of the fire, which had been a concern, was quiet. On the northeast side, a hotshot crew starting on Crab Lake this morning and working south came close to joining up with firefighters working from the south. They estimate another half day of work will be needed to join the two saw lines. On the southern end of the fire, crews made progress mopping up, ensuring that there are no areas of heat from the fire perimeter to an interior depth of one hundred feet. Firefighters found very little heat on the southwest perimeter.
Weather and Fire Behavior: Winds tomorrow will again be from the south with gusts up to 25 mph, and temperature will be in the mid to high 70s. However, the relative humidity will be in the high 30s, low 40s (percent), an increase of 15 to 20 percent from today’s humidity. The increase in humidity will reduce fire behavior. The fire might travel along the ground’s surface but is not likely to get high into the trees.
Safety Message: The towns of Ely, Winton, Tower, or Soudan are not threatened.

Closures: The Forest Service does not currently recommend BWCAW travel south of Big Moose, Big Rice, and Bootleg Lakes. Just one BWCAW entry point—Crab Lake entry point #4—is officially closed; all other entry points remain open. The following BWCAW portages and lakes/rivers, including campsites, are closed:
· portage Burntside Lake to Crab Lake (entry point #4)
· portage from Cummings Lake to Korb Lake; portage from Cummings Lake to Korb River
· lakes and associated portages: Crab, Boulder, Phantom, Battle, Sprite, Meat, Clark, Glimmer, Hassle, Saca, Little Crab, Korb, Maxine, Barefoot, Little Jig, Silaca, Coxey Pond, Lunetta, Schlamn, Soroll, Glenmore, Western, Blick, Chad, Dugout, and Pine.
· Pine Creek east of Trout Lake
· portage from Trout Lake to Pine Lake
Closure signs are posted at normal access points to delineate the closure area. The closure order and map are located at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/4740/.

Sure wish we could ship some of that extra rain we've had up north! Hate to think of another big fire up there

Maybe soon some rain coming it is dry.

We were on Big Moose Lake Thursday and noticed a large plume of smoke from the south getting larger every minute and blowing directly our way. We got our cell phones out and had barely 1 bar of service to call the Cook Ranger Station. They told us it was a prescribed burn and we were safe.

It definitely looked larger than a prescribed burn. We talked to the folks coming in on Friday who indicated the prescribed burn got out of control.

A prescribed burn when its been this dry seems ludicrous to me...? I'd be on FIRE (no pun intended) if I had to cancel my trip because of these idiots!

quote frlu0501: "We were on Big Moose Lake Thursday and noticed a large plume of smoke from the south getting larger every minute and blowing directly our way. We got our cell phones out and had barely 1 bar of service to call the Cook Ranger Station. They told us it was a prescribed burn and we were safe.

It definitely looked larger than a prescribed burn. We talked to the folks coming in on Friday who indicated the prescribed burn got out of control.

A prescribed burn when its been this dry seems ludicrous to me...? I'd be on FIRE (no pun intended) if I had to cancel my trip because of these idiots!"

The window for prescribed burns is so small,I won't pass judgement on them,I think th Things happen.ey know what they are doing.

NEW INFO ON CRAB LAKE FIRE AREA - SOME GOOD NEWS!

Fire Information
Web address: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4740/# Email: FossLakeFireInfo@gmail.com
Phone: 218-365-2216 (new number) Location: US Forest Service, 1393 Hwy 169, Ely, open 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

Size: 1015 acres Containment: 45 percent Fire Start Date: May 19, 2016
Resources: 9 crews, 2 MN CCC camp crews, 2 helicopters, 4 engines, 1 water tender, 277 total personnel

Current Situation: Another day of strong winds and no significant precipitation tested the fireline again today, but there was no additional growth and the firelines are holding. The work the crews have done the last few days allowed fire managers to consider nearly half of the fire contained. The northwest side of the fire from Crab Lake to the south end of Clark Lake is the hottest part of the fire. Firefighters made good progress constructing saw line, laying down hose, and suppressing hot spots along the fire’s perimeter on the northern half. Three hotshot crews were demobilized from the fire today. Three crews will continue to camp in the wilderness: two on Crab Lake and one on Clark Lake. One crew arrived on the incident today and they’ll be hiking to the fire every day.

Members of the Lake Vermilion Fire Brigade, used their fire boat to shuttle outgoing crews, their gear, and canoes across Burntside Lake. Along with members of the Morse/Fall Lake Fire Department and their boat, they also continued to make contact with Burntside property owners, sharing information with them about FireWise and defensible space.

Weather and Fire Behavior: The fire area did not receive significant precipitation today. There’s still a chance of rain this evening, measuring possibly a tenth of an inch. Tomorrow will bring light winds, a temperature near 80 degrees, and humidity around 30 percent. Fire behavior is expected to be moderate (for example, no crowning).

Closures: Crab Lake entry point #4 is the only officially closed BWCAW entry point. The following BWCAW portages and lakes/rivers, including campsites, are closed:
• portage Burntside Lake to Crab Lake (entry point #4)
• portage from Cummings Lake to Korb Lake; portage from Cummings Lake to Korb River
• lakes and associated portages: Crab, Boulder, Phantom, Battle, Sprite, Meat, Clark, Glimmer, Hassle, Saca, Little Crab, Korb, Maxine, Barefoot, Little Jig, Silaca, Coxey Pond, Lunetta, Schlamn, Soroll, Glenmore, Western, Blick, Chad, Dugout, and Pine.
• Pine Creek east of Trout Lake
• portage from Trout Lake to Pine Lake
Closure signs are posted at normal access points to delineate the closure area. The closure order and map are located at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/closures/4740/

Thanks.
Temps running 20 degrees above normal don't help and all the wind.

the sheridan st webcam shows wet pavement and dark skies! How much rain you get Lynn?

Some but not a lot. Still cloudy, so hope it rains tonight.

We may have gotten 1/4 inch if we were lucky, so need more!

Poured like hell for about a half hour at Burntside, my hillside got washed out a bit.
Fire moved pretty far today, looks to be past Clark lake and up to the south shore of Crab lake.

quote The Great Outdoors: "Poured like hell for about a half hour at Burntside, my hillside got washed out a bit.
Fire moved pretty far today, looks to be past Clark lake and up to the south shore of Crab lake.
"

That makes senses from radar returns. Still raining hard SW of Ely -- a little to SW of the fire-- but a least light rain/moderate rain for several hours over the fire. More to come Wed night and on.... a week from now we will be talking bugs...

quote Pinetree: "Thanks.
Temps running 20 degrees above normal don't help and all the wind."

Where are temps running +20 above normal in areas around the fire?? Ely was 81F both Sat and Sun and 75F today -- Monday. The avg high in Ely is 69F for this time frame. The overnight lows have been near 40F,, until Monday AM when the low was 63F. The wind I understand-- but the month as a whole in Ely has been below normal temp wise.. The cause of the fire is a slow green up due to the cold weather around the fishing opener and a dry spring and now above normal temps (+6 or so for daily avg) over the past several days with very dry relative humidity.-- hence big diurnal changes in temps until Monday. 33% of normal rainfall for the month of May (through the 22nd) is the real cause along with strong wind and a prescribed fire which I digress from speaking about :O)

The sites I looked at Tower and Ely for May 21-22 the average high is 61-62 degrees. Both stations had listed 80-81 degrees for those days.
I was up in Quetico and in the shade on a good thermometer had 86 degrees numerous places that day.
People around Ely had 85-86 on home thermometers which vary a lot. Either way it was hot and very high winds Sunday.Seen one that said 86 Sunday.
Moisture content of the dead wood is very low now.

Much of Minnesota got some rain last night. Not much. Ely I don't know.
Lynn will have to give us a update.

Home now going from canoeing to cutting grass and painting house.

The beauty was awesome up to ELy and last Friday and Saturday it was calm and canoe heaven. Fish are biting.

ELY

quote Pinetree: "

quote frlu0501: "We were on Big Moose Lake Thursday and noticed a large plume of smoke from the south getting larger every minute and blowing directly our way. We got our cell phones out and had barely 1 bar of service to call the Cook Ranger Station. They told us it was a prescribed burn and we were safe.


It definitely looked larger than a prescribed burn. We talked to the folks coming in on Friday who indicated the prescribed burn got out of control.


A prescribed burn when its been this dry seems ludicrous to me...? I'd be on FIRE (no pun intended) if I had to cancel my trip because of these idiots!"

The window for prescribed burns is so small,I won't pass judgement on them,I think th Things happen.ey know what they are doing."

The window for prescribed burns is years long. The fire manager just felt the need (want) to get it done this year. It would have been fine to wait until next year or next decade, the forest changes slowly.

Pinetree-- I think we are both wrong with are avgs...After your post-- I thought about mine (from Accuweather) and it does seem high and yours seems low. This is typical of sites that have not been around long enough to get a steady Avg as one or two extreme years can tip the avg. This seems to be more in line --

Ely Avg May temps

Yeh I agree.

Crab Lake on the permit site shows a permit left for the 27th but according to what we heard from the Kawishiwi Station, Crab is not open through this weekend for sure.

Will keep you all posted.