DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Dry weather has led the Superior National Forest to ban campfires in parts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area affected by the 1999 blowdown.

The ban includes campfire and charcoal fires. It starts at 12:01 a.m. today and will continue until officials are convinced enough rain has fallen to dampen the fire danger.
Gas and propane stoves are still allowed in the affected area, and campfires are allowed in parts of the BWCA that weren't affected by the windstorm.

Also, the Forest Service is closing the Kekekabic Trail east of Disappointment Lake and the Border Route Trail with its connecting trails.

The blowdown area includes portions of the BWCA where millions of trees were knocked down in July 1999. Despite several forest fires since then, more than 80 percent of the blowdown area has not yet been hit by natural, accidental or intentional fires.

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