Crews Battling Foss Lake Fire, 70 Percent Contained

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Officials say a forest fire in northeastern Minnesota that started nearly a week ago is about 70 percent contained.

The fire began as a controlled burn about 10 miles west of Ely but quickly expanded to 1,000 acres late last week.

Rebecca Manlove with the Superior National Forest said firefighters flew the fire perimeter on Tuesday and detected three pockets of heat on the interior. They've mopped up into a burn area at least 50 feet from the perimeter.

Officials said Wednesday firefighters are hoping to continue the mop up effort and increase depth to the 100-foot standard. Three fire crews remain at Clark and Crab Lakes, and remaining crews are traveling to and from the fire daily.

Manlove said there are 213 total personnel fighting the fire. Wednesday could be challenging as winds are expected to gust as high as 20 miles per hour and thunderstorms with some lightning are likely in the afternoon.