Containment Date Set for Alpine Lake Fire

The incident Management Team has announced an anticipated containment date of Saturday, Aug 20th, for the Alpine Lake Fire. Individual tree torching and minimal fire spread occurred mostly in the interior yesterday. A hose lay, installed on the north side of the fire, should be completed by the end of today's shift. Crews will continue to patrol and mop-up the fire perimeter. No additional spread of the fire is expected. Light-on-the-land fire fighting methods are being used to minimize impact on the wilderness environment; these methods include using natural barriers, hose lays to make wet lines, and water drops by aircraft.

Level II restrictions remain in effect for the blowdown area of the BWCAW; information on closures of campsites is available at permit issuing stations and entry points.A daily public information meeting will be held at Blankenburg Landing Fire Hall at 10:00 AM. Safety of fire personnel, residents and visitors continues to be the top priority.

Fire Trivia:- Over 30 miles of hose has been laid to create wet line around the fire and at contingency lines.- The fire perimeter is 10.5 miles - 115 boats and canoes are being used- 12 local businesses are being used for a variety of services- 252 personnel are working on the fire- 1.3 millions gallons of water have been dropped

Fire Facts:Date Started: 8/06/2005 Cause: Lightning Current Size: 1335 acresLocation: NE MN, near the end of the Gunflint Trail between Alpine, Seagull, Red Rock and Grandpa Lakes Injuries to Date: three - one twisted ankle, one broken finger, one strained kneePercent

Containment: 46 Estimated Containment: 252 Wilderness campsites closed: 18. Cost to date: $1,939,000Command: Unified: Stegmeir's MNICS Type 2 Incident Management Team, USFS, MN DNR, Cook County Sheriff Cooperating Agencies: Gunflint VFD, National Wx Service, MN DOT, Interagency crews from MN, WV, IN, OH, and MOFire Restrictions: Level II - effective 12:01 AM Friday, August 12, 2005