Amid increasing fire danger, Forest Service bans campfires in Boundary Waters
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The U.S. Forest Service announced Tuesday that it’s banning all backcountry campfires in northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness until further notice, amid increasing concern about the risk of wildfires.
The emergency order goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. It also applies to charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves. Authorities said gas and propane cook stoves would still be allowed in the wilderness.
While much of northeast Minnesota saw abundant snowfall over the winter, an extended period of dry weather this spring has led to increased fire danger.
Outside of the BWCAW boundaries, the Superior National Forest will allow campfires only within Forest Service-installed fire rings at fee campgrounds; authorities posted a list of those campgrounds with the emergency order online.
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“If you are in a location where you can have a campfire, consider if the conditions are right and if you need a fire,” Superior National Forest officials wrote in an announcement about the emergency order. “Be sure to keep your campfire small and put it out cold to the touch whenever you leave it. All campfires must be attended all times.”
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources also has imposed its own fire restrictions across four northeast Minnesota counties — Carlton, Cook, Lake and St. Louis.
Those restrictions also take effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. As long as they’re in place, the DNR won’t be issuing burning permits for those four counties; fireworks aren’t allowed outside city limits; and campfires are allowed “only in an established fire ring associated with a home, campground, or resort. No campfires are allowed for dispersed, remote, backpacking, or backcountry camping.”
While vegetation may look green in northeast Minnesota, “unusually dry conditions have increased the risk of fire,” Allissa Reynolds, wildfire prevention supervisor with the DNR, said in a news release. “One unintentional spark in these conditions could result in thousands of charred acres and property damage. This is a dangerous time for wildfires in northeast Minnesota.”
The DNR noted that fire danger is likely to remain high through the rest of the month.
Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park, just across the international border from the Boundary Waters, imposed its own campfire ban earlier this month.
The Forest Service has previously issued temporary campfire bans during times of increased fire danger, including in the summer of 2021. Later that summer, the entire BWCAW was evacuated and closed due to volatile wildfire conditions.