The first full day of the closure of the Boundary Waters could bring smoke to the Ely area and increase the risk of the wildfires moving south down the Fernberg corridor toward town.

These were among the concerns expressed by state and federal officials late Monday, just hours before the official closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness took effect Tuesday morning just after midnight.

As of 8 a.m. July 14, the Fernberg corridor near Ely is largely being evacuated, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Lake County Emergency Management initiated the evacuation for the Fernberg corridor from the Garden Lake Bridge to the end of the Fernberg at the Lake One entry point to the BWCA. 

St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay (St. Louis County incudes Ely and a large section of the BWCA) said late Monday that numerous people needed to be rescued from the BWCA yesterday during an ongoing evacuation of the wilderness. Somewhere between 15 and 20 people were in need of air support to be rescued from the Boundary Waters on Monday, according to preliminary reports.

There are currently Forest Service backcountry rangers traveling across the Boundary Waters in an attempt to reach paddlers and hikers to let them know the BWCA Wilderness is closing and being evacuated.

Word of the closure is also spreading amongst paddlers themselves, according to Mark Zimmer, known commonly as The Barefoot Paddler. Mark and his family evacuated the wilderness Monday, July 13, after another group of paddlers told them of the closure and ongoing evacuation.

Joe from Paddle & Portage spoke with the Barefoot Paddler Tuesday morning about the evacuation and what comes next for him and the Boundary Waters.

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