The 2007 Ham Lake Fire

At 11:44 a.m. on May 5, 2007, a wildfire was reported near Ham Lake by the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Gunflint Trail, and fourteen days later it was 100 percent contained after burning 75,484 acres on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, destroying 61 residences, 17 commercial structures, and 55 outbuildings, and costing $10,900,000 to suppress. Wind drove the fire's growth, with shifting high winds pushing it into fresh fuel and repeatedly widening the fire, while rain of a tenth to a half inch on May 14 helped firefighters limit its spread and fully contain it by May 19. At the peak on May 14 and 15, the coordinated effort included 1,091 firefighters on 32 hand crews, 42 engine crews, 3 water tenders, 13 helicopters, and 8 bulldozers, along with support teams for dispatch, weather, food, shelter, and public information. The fire left bare rock exposed and destroyed trees and buildings, and many feared for their way of life along the Gunflint Trail, yet people, wildlife, and green plants returned quickly as the nearly treeless area began to regenerate. Some species such as black-backed woodpeckers and fireweed thrived soon after the fire, while bears and moose returned as plants regrew, and volunteers working with National Forest silviculturalists planted thousands of trees to help renew the forest.

Minnesota · United States