Aerial Video Shows Canadian Wildfires Burning Near Boundary Waters
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Hazy skies have been common over Minnesota this summer due to a number of a wildfires burning in southern Canada.
On Thursday, the U.S. Forest Service posted aerial footage on Facebook of some of the fires just north of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. The video, which was recorded Tuesday, shows thick smoke rising from a number of fires dotting the lake-dappled forest landscape of Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park.
Due to the worsening drought and breezy, dry weather, the forest service is expecting critical fire conditions on Thursday. Already, a number of fires are burning in northern Minnesota, which is under severe/extreme drought conditions.
Three wildfires have prompted areas of the Boundary Waters to close in recent days. One wildfire in Superior National Forest led authorities to evacuate dozens of homes near McDougal Lake. That fire, dubbed the Greenwood Lake Fire, has grown to 5 square miles as of Wednesday. So far, no injuries or damage to structures have been reported.
The wildfires in northern Minnesota could soon be dampened as thunderstorms are expected Friday. According to meteorologist Mike Augustyniak, much of northern Minnesota could see an inch or more of rain over the next five days.
