Fire, Heat And Toxic Smoke Force Total Shutdown Of Boundary Waters

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is about to go completely dark to visitors, as wildfires and dangerous heat push Minnesota into a state of emergency.

Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency Sunday and mobilized the Minnesota National Guard to support wildfire response in the northeastern part of the state.

"Wildfires have broken out in northeastern Minnesota and are putting local communities at risk," Walz said in a statement, adding that the declaration frees up the resources the Minnesota DNR and local communities need to respond.

Multiple cooperators have received word from the Forest Service that the entire BWCAW will close temporarily starting Tuesday, July 14, due to extreme weather conditions and numerous wildfires.

Overnight paddle, overnight motor and overnight hiking permits with entry dates from Monday, July 13, through Friday, July 17, are being cancelled.

Day-use motor permits from Tuesday through Friday are also cancelled, though day-use motor visitors with reservations for Monday may proceed as planned.

Beginning Tuesday, no one will be allowed into the BWCAW, including for day use, and crews will begin moving existing visitors out of the wilderness, prioritizing the areas most vulnerable to fire activity. Full refunds will be issued automatically.

The closure follows the Forest Service's move on July 11 to shut down 225,000 acres of the BWCAW because of multiple wildfires and continued dry conditions.

On the BWCA.com community messageboard, longtime visitors called the shutdown a rare event, recalling a partial closure in 2021 and a weeklong shutdown in August 2001, with some pointing back to fire-related disruptions as far back as 1976. Paddlers with permits already booked said they were scrambling to rebook trips before the closure takes hold, while others voiced concern for outfitters and lodges bracing for cancellations during peak season.

Seventeen wildfires have started in and around the BWCAW in the last week, triggering evacuations and the closure of multiple trails and entry points.

The fires are concentrated in the northwest part of the wilderness, between Ely and Crane Lake, north of the Echo Trail and south of Lac La Croix along the Canadian border, and the Minnesota DNR is leading the response on five additional fires in the same area.

Layered on top of the fire danger, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for northeast Minnesota, warning that wildfire smoke will push pollution into the purple category, which is very unhealthy for everyone.

The alert takes effect at 7 a.m. Tuesday and runs through 11 a.m. Thursday, covering Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely and the Tribal Nation of Grand Portage.

High temperatures in the 90s across the area Tuesday will combine with the smoke to raise health risks further, with officials warning that heavy smoke could push farther south overnight into Wednesday, potentially expanding the alert area.

The MPCA is advising everyone, not just sensitive groups, to avoid prolonged or heavy exertion and stay indoors, noting the smoke can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes, with children, older adults, pregnant people and those with existing heart, lung, blood pressure or diabetes conditions facing the highest risk.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is coordinating the response with the Minnesota DNR, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center, the U.S. Forest Service, and local emergency responders.