5/20/21 – On Monday, May 17th a fire started in the northwest corner of the Boundary Waters. The wildfire was detected northwest of Bezhik Lake on the LaCroix Ranger District of the Superior National Forest. At the moment, a lightning strike is believed to have started the fire.

This is VERY FAR AWAY from Sawbill, and officials have been responding to the blaze. The lake this fire started at is approximately 90 miles away from Sawbill. Crews began to respond and put out this blaze after it began to move closer to private property following its initial start. Superior National Forest spokesperson Tim Engrav said six aircraft and at least 40 firefighters worked to put out the fire, and officials are currently monitoring the situation.

Fires are a natural part of a forest’s life cycle. Low-intensity wildfires burn up fuel, plant debris, and dead trees. Therefore, they make room for younger trees and vegetation to thrive. Also, regular control burns can prevent massive scale forest fires. For more information on wildfires, checkout these articles from the BBC and WWF:

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160722-why-we-should-let-raging-wildfires-burn

https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/forest-fires-the-good-and-the-bad

News Articles covering the Bezhik Fire:

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7490/

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2021/05/20/boundary-waters-blaze-could-be-sign-of-busy-wildfire-season

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/fires/7035329-BWCAW-fire-estimate-downsized-to-950-acres

-Mia