Ground crews are on the scene of a wildfire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness northwest of Ely this morning.
A crew of 10 is battling the Cummings Lake fire, now estimated at 20 acres in size, in black spruce in a lowland area about 12 miles northwest of Ely, according to Superior National Forest information officer Becca Manlove. No structures are immediately threatened by the flames.
More ground personnel are heading to the scene and a type-III helicopter is going to be working the fire today, Manlove said, with CL-215 water bombers on standby.
Five aircraft worked the blaze on Sunday. The fire was reported on Sunday afternoon; it's in the wilderness area about 11 miles north of Eagles Nest Lake. There are no officials closures in the Boundary Waters at this time, although camping on Otter Lake is not recommended.
Manlove said residents and visitors should be aware that there will be fire patrols flown today in the Ely area, along with aerial fire suppression efforts. There's also smoke in the air from the Cummings Lake fire and a second, similar-sized fire burning just across the Canadian border, on the north shore of Basswood Lake at Norway Point.
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That smoke may make it seem like the fires are closer to developed areas than they actually are, Manlove said. She said both fires are being monitored and pose no immediate threat to structures.
Fire danger remains high across the Northland after an extended period of warm, dry weather.
