Crew Member Dies During Boundary Waters Wildfire Response

Overview

• Fire officials said a crew member suffered a medical emergency and was taken to a hospital where the person later died, with the incident occurring on Tuesday near Ely.
• Authorities have not released the individual’s name or a cause of death and say they will provide more information after confirmation and family notification.
• The multi-agency response remains active with roughly 760 personnel coordinated by the Eastern Area Complex Incident Management Team and the U.S. Forest Service.
• Crews have made uneven containment gains: the Camp Fire near Winton is about 84 percent contained while other blazes northwest of Ely remain below 50 percent.
• Officials have reopened many trails and roughly 1,600 of 2,000 campsites in the Boundary Waters as conditions improved, but continued operations and the recent fatality could affect access and staffing in the short term.