By John Myers
Duluth News-Tribune
Copyright 2007 Duluth News-Tribune
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News
POPLAR LAKE, Minn. — A steady parade of fire engines heading down the Gunflint Trail and away from the Ham Lake fire Tuesday, coupled with a cold drizzle, are two signs the nasty blaze may be on its last legs.
While it could be weeks until the fire is officially considered under control and safe, fire officials said the light rain, lower temperatures and calm winds mostly have stalled the fire on the Minnesota side of the border since Sunday.
There is some sort of safety line around 50 percent of the fire in Minnesota -- either burned areas, lakes, roads or bulldozed fire breaks -- leading officials to proclaim the fire 50 percent contained in Minnesota.
The only major fire activity this week has been in Canada, where little containment is reported and where more than half of the fire’s nearly 75,000 acres, or 117 square miles, now have burned.
“We’re half-contained on our side. But for this to be under control, meaning cold to the touch across the entire area of containment, it’s going to be a long time, probably weeks,” said Dick Birger, a spokesman for the fire’s incident command team. “There are still going to be hot spots across the fire area that will be putting up smoke and which could kick up again ... unless we get a lot more rain.”
More than a tenth of an inch of rain fell on the fire area early Tuesday, and thick clouds prevented the sun from redrying the forest floor.
“It wasn’t much rain. It didn’t even soak the ground very well. But the humidity and clouds and cool weather really help keep the sun from heating up the fuels,” Birger said.
More than a dozen fire engines and crews left the fire Tuesday, mostly large, firetrucks from urban regions of the state that had been on standby to protect buildings. Some of the 1,000 firefighters on the ground also were preparing to leave as fires in other states begin to take a higher priority.
“We’re beginning the demobilization effort,” Birger said.
Some crews along the Gunflint Trail also might be diverted to help firefighters in Ontario protect buildings on Saganaga and Northern Lights lakes, which have been threatened by the northeast arm of the Ham Lake fire, said Mark Van Every, Kawishiswi District Ranger for the Superior National Forest. At least one building on Saganaga’s Red Pine Island in Ontario burned when the fire jumped from the mainland.
Homeowner access Thursday
Property owners on Sea-gull and Saganaga lakes, under evacuation orders for nearly 11 days, will be al-lowed back into their homes, lodges and cabins Thursday from noon until 4 p.m., said Leif Lunde, chief deputy of the Cook County Sheriff’s Department.
Any property owner who wants to make the trip is asked to be at the Poplar Lake fire hall Thursday at 11:30 a.m. for a safety briefing.
Only a few property own-ers have been back to their buildings since the fire because the blaze continued to flare up and change direc-tions, making access unsafe.
The Gunflint Trail road-block will move north to the Cross River area, just past Gunflint Lake, at noon today, the sheriff’s office an-nounced. That move will allow residents and property owners in the Gunflint Lake area to return to their homes and cabins.
The Gunflint Trail re-mains closed to the public beyond the Cross River for the forseeable future.
Van Every said electricity has been restored along the full length of the Gunflint Trail and that it should be restored to homes off side roads and driveways near the trail within a few days.
Green-up helps, but drought persists
Trees and bushes are starting to leaf out along the Gunflint Trail, pushed by recent drizzle, giving the border forest a fresher look. But fire officials cautioned that the leafing is really a “false green-up.”
“This area has something like a 17-inch deficit for rainfall ... so there isn’t enough moisture out there to really turn things green like they should be,” Birger said. “The leaves are popping and sucking up any moisture, but the plant may still die because there isn’t any moisture in the ground.”
The Climate Prediction Center has forecast above-normal rainfall for the region in coming weeks. Any rain will help, but it will take several inches to snuff the immediate fire danger.
Fire danger will skyrocket again any time the forest goes two or more weeks without rain, especially in the areas with trees down from the July 4, 1999, windstorm.
The border region’s primary fire season usually comes in August when rainfall often becomes less frequent but thunderstorms still bring lightning strikes that start fires.
The Ham Lake fire started May 5, apparently from an unattended campfire. Officials say firefighting efforts have cost about $6 million, with the meter still running.
Goin’ to see the kids
Bob Baker, owner of Gunflint Pines Resort and Campground and a commander with the Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department, was headed south -- away from the fire -- Tuesday afternoon when he stopped at the Poplar Lake fire hall.
The lull in the fire had given Baker some much-needed time out of fireproof clothing. Baker said he’s trying to rotate members of the department so each gets some needed rest and family time.
It was the farthest down the trail and away from the action he had been since the fire started.
Baker’s family had evacuated Thursday when the fire threatened the Gunflint Lake area. They are staying at the Grand Marais Municipal Campground, along with other families of Fire Department members.
“I’m taking a half-day to go see the kids,” he said.
Baker said his business, and others on the Minnesota side of Gunflint Lake, were unscathed by the fire’s big run Thursday. Electricity was restored to that area within 24 hours of the fire breaching the trail near Flour Lake.