HAM LAKE FIRE

UPDATE

Minnesota Incident Management Team

May 21, 2007, 6:00 AM

Current Status

The Canadians currently have 292 personnel working on their side of the Ham Lake Fire. Three American hotshot crews continue to assist the Canadians. The situation is expected to remain the same until at least Tuesday, May 22.

Estimated Acreage/ containment

75,851 total acres burned: 36,443 acres in the United States; 39,408 acres in Canada. Containment is now estimated at 70% for the entire fire; the U.S. portion is 100%.

Resources on the Fire/Costs

Crews: 7 Helicopters: 2 Engines: 4 Water tenders: 1 Dozers: 1 Personnel: 239 (Not including Canada) Estimated Costs: $9,240,143.

Cooperators

Cooperators include Gunflint Trail Volunteer Fire Department, Cook County, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, American Red Cross, Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Weather Service, numerous Volunteer Fire Departments and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.

Evacuations and Public Meetings

A mandatory evacuation order remains in effect for the Gunflint Trail beyond the Cross River Bridge roadblock. Cook County Sheriff, Mark Falk has announced that the evacuation order will be lifted at 8 am Tuesday, May 22. There will be a public information meeting Wednesday, May 23, 10:00 am at the Cook County Saganaga Boat Landing near Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. No public information meetings are scheduled in Grand Marais. Local station WTIP 90.7 FM and 91.7 FM (WTIP.org) will continue broadcasts with fire staff as needed.

Closures and restrictions

The Superior National Forest has announced that as of 8:00 am Tuesday, May 22, 2007, the closure order for day and overnight use for all remaining BWCAW entry points in the Gunflint Ranger District will be lifted, with the exception of Larch Creek (#80), Magnetic Lake (#57), Skipper & Portage Lakes (#49), and South Lake (#58) entry points; and the Kekekabic Trail East (#56); and Border Route Trails, West, Center and East (#81, 82, & 83). The Granite River which runs between Saganaga and Magnetic Lake will remain closed on the U.S. side at this time. Iron and Larch Lake Public Boat Landings and the Iron Lake Campground and the Trails End Campground also remain closed.

Reservations for the newly reopened entry points will be accepted through ReserveAmerica. Some campsites in the affected area will remain closed until further notice, and there may be slight reductions in entry quotas. For a complete listing of sites that remain closed, refer to www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior.

As of Tuesday 8 am, May 22, 2007 access is open to Seagull Lake. Gunflint and Loon Lake areas opened on Sunday, May 20, 2007.

As a reminder, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced that cross-country ATV travel is temporarily prohibited on all state and county lands in Lake, Cook, and St. Louis Counties. Cross-country ATV travel has been and will continue to be prohibited on Superior National Forest lands.

Incident plans for today

Mop-up continues and dozer line rehabilitation is complete. The fire will continue to be monitored by air. "Backhaul" of suppression materials will occur on all areas of the fire where several divisions are removing pumps and hoses that are no longer needed to ensure structural protection. Three U.S. "hotshot" crews continue to assist the Canadians in securing fire lines on the Canadian side. The Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) team is in place and coordinating with managers in planning and implementing rehabilitation measures.

Fire weather

Cloudy with a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper sixties to lower 70s, with southeast winds of 14 to 19 mph. Chance of precipitation increasing to 50% tonight and 60% tomorrow.

Fire and Other Information

The Joint Information Center (JIC) at the Court House in Grand Marais is closed. For the time being, the JIC phone number will be maintained at the Gunflint Ranger District at (218) 387-3401. Cook County has established a community assistance hot line; (218) 387-3017. The Ham Lake Fire Information Center number is (801) 413-0589. Fire Websites: http://www.inciweb.org/ is the primary location for information on the Ham Lake Fire. Additional fire information can be found at mnics.org. The Canadian fire information number is (888) 258-8842.