At press time on Thursday, September 29, the Pagami Creek fire was 64 percent contained. Although containment has been steadily growing, a few dry days and the gusts of wind on Thursday not only fueled concerns, but the fire itself. Light rain on Wednesday night helped some, but no one will relax in the northland until the fire is 100 percent contained.
Firefighters were being aided in efforts to completely extinguish the 93,459-acre fire by use of infrared technology. Infrared identifies heat along the fire perimeter allowing firefighters to focus on those areas where hot spots still exist. Aircraft continues to drop water on the portions of the fire perimeter without hose lines to lessen the chance of fire movement when winds arrive.
Activities on the fire continue to be spot fire detection, line construction and mopping up along the fire’s perimeter. Crews have also begun rehabilitation along dozer lines outside of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). In addition to water drops, air support also provided cargo to crews in spike camps along the north and east perimeters of the fire.
Some Boundary Waters entry points remain closed for day and overnight use, but the cautionary closure area has been reduced. To see the updated closures, visit www. fs.usda.gov/goto/superior/home.
There are currently 708 personnel assigned to the incident. Resources include: 10 hotshot (Type 1) crews, seven Type 2 crews, four engines, two water tenders, four camp crews and other personnel. The following air resources are available: two Type 1 helicopters, two Type 3 helicopters, two scoopers (or water bombers), one scooper lead plane, and three Beaver aircraft on floats.
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