Wildfire Smoke Chokes Northeastern Minnesota and Ontario as Firefighters Battle Large Boundary Waters Blazes

3 articles · Updated · MPR News · Jul 16

Dense smoke from multiple wildfires cut visibility and pushed air quality into unhealthy ranges across northeastern Minnesota and Ontario on Thursday.
Large fires burning in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness drove the smoke plume as firefighters continued trying to contain the blazes.
Ely, Minnesota, was shrouded in smoke, with downtown visibility reduced and the Historic State Theater operating as a mutual-aid center offering N-95 masks, volunteers and donated supplies.
The smoke spread the wildfire emergency beyond the fire lines, disrupting daily life across the cross-border region even as suppression efforts remained focused near the Boundary Waters.

Sources

Will Minnesota's iconic northern lakes face a permanent toxic future from the ash of worsening megafires?

With fires expected to burn 'until it snows,' how will northern communities survive a months-long crisis?

Could ancient Indigenous burning practices be the modern tool needed to save Minnesota's forests from climate change?