Cook County News Herald

Small wildland fire in Lake County over July 4




The U.S. Forest Service is monitoring the area of a small fire one mile west of Perent Lake in Lake County. The fire was started by a lightning strike on Monday, July 2 and spotted on Tuesday, July 3. Forest Service CL215s, or water scoopers, flew over the area on Tuesday, making water drops. The rain on Wednesday, July 4 and Friday, July 6 subsequently doused the fire as well. On Monday, July 9, Tofte District Ranger John Wytanis said a flyover of the area on Sunday revealed no smoke.

Wytanis said the Forest Service considered putting some wildland firefighters on the fire, however it is in an area with poor access, so suppression was from the air. Then the rain “put a pretty good hurt on it” and the ground fire suppression was not necessary.

The fire burned approximately 3 acres. It is within one quarter of a mile of the Pagami Creek Fire from last year, which Wytanis said is actually a good thing. “It’s between Perent Lake and the Pagami Creek Fire. There is ‘black’ on one side and water on the other, so it’s a relatively good spot,” he said.

The fire burned in a mixed boreal forest type that consists of spruce and hardwoods mainly, with some scattered pine.

The Forest Service continues to monitor the area.



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