Chronology of forest fires

From BWCAWiki

An incomplete chronology of forest fires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This chronology is derived from historical accounts after 1910, and tree ring and fire scar records from 1910 back to about 1600. Note that the record of individual fire events prior to about 1850 becomes increasingly scarce with age, since the evidence of such fires has largely disappeared since that time.

Contents 1 Post-blowdown era (2000-present) 1.1 2007 1.2 2006 1.3 2005 1.4 2004 1.5 2003 1.6 2002 1.7 2001 2 Pre-blowdown era (1987-1999) 2.1 1996 2.2 1995 3 Suppression era (1911-1986) 3.1 1986 3.2 1976 3.3 1974 3.4 1971 3.5 1948 3.6 1936 3.7 1929 4 Pre-supression era (up to 1910) 4.1 1910 4.2 1894 4.3 1875 4.4 1863 4.5 1801 4.6 1755 4.7 1727 5 References

Post-blowdown era (2000-present)

2007

• May 5, Ham Lake Fire, 16,266 acres

2006

• September 7, East Zone Complex:
  • Famine Lake Fire near Long Island Lake, 4,044 acres (lightning)
  • Red Eye Fire near Winchell Lake, 1,792 acres (lightning)
  • Sumpet Fire near Perent Lake, 58 acres (lightning)
  • Patriot Fire within the 2003 Arc Lake Fire near Seagull Lake, 4 acres (lightning)
• July 13, Cavity Lake Fire between Seagull Lake and Gabimichigami Lake, 31,830 acres (lightning)
• July 7, Turtle Lake Fire near Bald Eagle Lake, 2,085 acres (lightning)

2005

• Gunflint Palisades Fire near Loon Lake and Gunflint Lake (prescribed)
• Saucer Lake Fire near Gunflint Lake and South Lake (prescribed)
• One Island Lake Fire near Poplar Lake (prescribed)
• July 30, Alpine Lake Fire near Seagull Lake, 1,335 acres (lightning)

2004

• Tuscarora Lake Fire near Tuscarora Lake (prescribed)
• Larch Lake Fire around Larch Lake and Clove Lake near Saganaga Lake (prescribed)
• Loon Lake Fire near Loon Lake and the Gunflint Trail (prescribed)
• Hummitch Lake Fire between Gillis Lake and Seagull Lake, <500 acres (unknown cause)

2003

• South Seagull Fire (aka Arc Lake Fire) near Seagull Lake, 4,000 acres (prescribed)
• Honker Fire between Seagull Lake and Tuscarora Lake (prescribed)
• Kekekabic Fire on the east end of the Kekekabic Trail and the Gunflint Trail (prescribed)

2002

• Three Mile Island Fire on Seagull Lake, <2,000 acres (prescribed)
• Magnetic Lake Fire near Magnetic Lake and the Gunflint Trail (prescribed)
• Meditation Lake Fire near Seagull Lake (prescribed)

2001

• Poplar Lake Fire on the west end of Poplar Lake (prescribed)
• Kings Road Fire on the Gunflint Trail near Gunflint Lake (prescribed)

Pre-blowdown era (1987-1999)

1996

• June 14, South Temperance Fire near Brule Lake, 4,450 acres (lightning)

1995

• August 10, Sag Corridor Fire near Saganaga Lake, 12,600 acres (human-caused)
• Winchell Lake Fire near Winchell Lake, <2,000 acres

Suppression era (1911-1986)

1986

• May 29, Lake Two Fire near Lake Two

1976

• September 7, Fraser Lake Fire, 1,025 acres (human-caused)
• August 30, Rice Lake Fire northwest of Isabella Lake, 1,190 acres (lightning)
• August 21, Roy Lake Fire near Saganaga Lake, 3,380 acres (lightning)

1974

• July 27, Prayer Lake Fire near Saganaga Lake, Marabouef Lake, the Crownlands, 1,006 acres (human-caused)
• July 27, Plume Lake Fire near Ottertrack Lake, Swamp Lake, 40 acres (part of a much larger fire in the Quetico) (lightning)

1971

• May 14, Little Sioux Fire of 1971 around the Echo Trail, 14,628 acres, although mostly outside the BWCAW (human-caused)

1948

• Plouff Creek Fire near the Sawbill Trail, 1,200 acres

1936

• Frost Lake Fire of 1936, from Frost Lake to Long Island Lake, 3,500 acres (lightning)
• Cherokee Lake Fire of 1936, 3,200 acres (lightning)

1929

• Brule Lake Fires near Brule Lake, 25,000 acres (human-caused)

Pre-supression era (up to 1910)

Many smaller fires are not listed.

1910

• Paulson Mine Fire of 1910 around Seagull Lake, Saganaga Lake, Pine River, 16,000 acres
• Knife Lake Fire of 1910 around Knife Lake, Ester Lake, Hanson Lake, 5,000 acres

1894

• Lac La Croix Fires of 1894, around Lac La Croix and Crooked Lake, 130,000+ acres (lightning?)

1875

• Insula-Ogishkemuncie Fire of 1875, from the southern boundary of the BWCAW to Ogishkemuncie Lake and Tuscarora Lake, about 175,000 acres (lightning?)

1863

• Alice-Saganaga Fire of 1863-64, from the south of the BWCAW to Alice Lake, Ottertrack Lake, Saganaga Lake, and the Quetico, 275,000 acres in the BWCAW, up to 400,000 acres total (lightning?)
• Little Sioux Fire of 1863-64, from southern Sioux River to Lac La Croix and the Quetico, 110,000+ acres (lightning?)

1801

• Saganaga Lake Fire of 1801, from Gabimichigami Lake to Saganaga Lake, the Quetico, and the Crownlands, 80,000+ acres (lightning?)

1755

• Lac La Croix Fire of 1755-59, from Burntside Lake to Lac La Croix, Iron Lake, and the Quetico, 160,000+ acres (lightning?)

1727

• Sawbill-Winchell Fire of 1727, from Sawbill Lake to Little Saganaga Lake, Winchell Lake, and Brule Lake, 100,000+ acres (lightning?)

References

• Heinselman, Miron. The Boundary Waters Wilderness Ecosystem, University of Minnesota Press, 1996. ISBN 0816628041
• Wilbers, Stephen. Boundary Waters Chronology.