Pagami Creek Fire Update for Monday, Sept. 26

Crews are continuing to make progress against the fire that's been burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for more than a month.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Pagami Creek blaze is now about 53 percent contained, up from 45 percent Sunday. Jeff Edmonds, an information officer in Ely said "The fire has not grown in a week."

Due to more accurate mapping, officials now have shrunk the size of the blaze to about 93,459 acres, or 146 square miles.

Because of the current fire containment, the county’s Emergency Management Director Jim Wiinanen and Sheriff Mark Falk said the voluntary evacuation hotline number will be disconnected and no longer available.

Wiinanen said weather and fire behavior predictions indicate that the fire no longer poses an imminent threat to Cook County residents. He also said the Pre-Planning for Evacuation document can also be taken off websites and removed from local businesses.

The Associated Press reports drizzly weather last week aided firefighters, but no new rain is expected now until Wednesday or Thursday, and warmer, drier air over the weekend increased fire activity a bit. However, warmer conditions have actually been a help to crews by making smoke from hot spots easier to see.

About 877 people, including those manning four Minnesota National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, are involved in the extensive firefighting operation, officials said.