Fire- Red Flag Warning Day- Number of Structures Lost Grows

The Ham Lake Fire continue to burn and another "Red Flag Warning day" is approaching. If the winds pick-up, as expected, the fire will likely continue to grow. While it difficult to get exact numbers of structures lost, a local resident who flew over the area yesterday estimates the number of building burnt as "approaching or maybe exceeding sixty." Wilderness Canoe Base along on Seagull Lake report that as many as thirty-seven of their sixty or so buildings have been destroyed. The camps sprinkler systems were not completely functional.

Yesterday a "back burn" was undertaken by the Magnetic Rock Road to provide a fire break should the fire move towards Gunflint and Magnetic Lakes. As a preventive measure the North Gunflint Road was evacuated. According to USFS officials The this controlled burn is proceeding as planned.

Additional Fire Information from MIFC follows:

A Red Flag warning has been issued for north central and northeast
Minnesota tomorrow. This includes Aitkin, Itasca, Koochiching, and Carlton
counties ties as well as the rest of the Arrowhead. We expect fire
resources to be pushed to their limits tomorrow.

No rain potential for northern Minnesota until Sunday night into Monday,
then possibly .25-.5 inches.



Jean Bergerson, Information Officer
MIFC