(KNOX) – The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will close on Tuesday, as wildfires continue to burn during an active heat wave in northern Minnesota.
Visitors with overnight paddle, motor and hiking permits who were going to be in the forest from Monday through Friday will have their reservations canceled. Those with day use motor reservations from Tuesday through Friday were also canceled. Officials say those with with reservations on Tuesday were already refunded.
The closure affects all entry points to the BWCAW. The announcement comes two days after the U.S. Forest Service closed 225,000 acres of the region and when Governor Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency.
Walz has also mobilized the National Guard to help battle 17 wildfires in the area. The fires are affecting the northwest part of the Boundary Waters between Ely and Crane Lake. They are also north of the Echo Trail and south of Lac La Croix along the Canadian border.
The wildfire risk will continue throughout the week. The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning and a red flag warning as temperatures are expected to reach the middle 90’s.
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