May 10, 2007 7:10 am US/Central
Firefighters Using Fire-Balls To Battle BWCA Blaze
Along the Gunflint Trail, Minn. (AP) ―
A helicopter dropped fire-starting balls into the forest to the north and west of Gunflint Lake. Some firefighters ignited other trees by hand. More aircraft collected buckets of water from the lake and doused some trees, while flames licked the tops of others.
"Wow," many people uttered as they stood on the other side of the lake Wednesday evening, mesmerized by the display of gray and rose-colored smoke that billowed into the sky over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The coordinated effort to burn a section of the forest was all in preparation for Thursday -- when winds were expected to shift out of the northwest, increasing the risk that a wildfire would imperil residential property. The effort, called a "burnout," is designed to clear trees and brush to reduce the fuel and stop an active fire from spreading.
"We could choose to light the fire tonight on our terms, or let it come to us," Mike Martin, a fire information officer, said Wednesday, adding that the effort would "take the punch" out of the wildfire.
"Tomorrow -- game on."
The fire near the end of the 57-mile-long Gunflint Trail had burned more than 34 square miles by Wednesday -- excluding the area that was burned that night. The fire started Saturday at Ham Lake and kept expanding due to shifting winds, low humidity and extremely dry conditions.
Greg Peterson, operations team manager, said the fire had destroyed 45 structures and was moving east, deeper into Canada and threatening more homes and cabins in Minnesota.
A squad of elite firefighters was taking command of the blaze, as officials braced for more dry weather and changing winds. Nearly 450 firefighters from across the country were on the scene Wednesday, with about 500 expected eventually.
One of the people watching the burnout effort was Lou Reid, who has property across the lake. Earlier in the day, he was forced to leave his dream retirement home behind -- and he and two friends rushed to hook up sprinklers and lay water lines before they had to go.
Reid worked as a guide in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in the 1970s, and said he dreamed then of earning enough money someday to retire at his own place in the woods. Two years ago, he made that happen -- transforming part of an old lodge into his summer and retirement home. He said he invested about $600,000 in the property, which includes six structures: A large home with a deck, a sauna, a weight room, two cabins and a garage with a loft.
"I've had lots of fun up here, and I've learned a lot up here," he said. "It's just been wonderful for me in high school and college. But now ... I've got a boy and a girl, and ... that was my legacy -- to leave them something like that.
"So if it's not here for them, that's tough on me, and obviously on them too," said Reid, 52, of Minnetrista.
In preparation for an evacuation, Reid wrote a note to firefighters that read: "Thank you for trying to save my retirement home ... I hope for your safety and success! Thank you again for your effort." He put it in a plastic bag and tacked it to his garage. By later Wednesday night, he was already relieved as firefighters told him that so far, his property was safe.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
