Parker Kleive and Marty Schubitzke lead efforts to protect structures from spreading wildfires in northern Minnesota.
Parker Kleive and Marty Schubitzke are among the firefighters working to protect structures from wildfires currently burning across northern Minnesota. The two Duluth Fire Department firefighters are helping to defend properties along the Echo Trail, where they have installed sprinklers and laid hoses to pump water from nearby lakes. The efforts are part of a larger strategy to manage several large fires in the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Bear Trap Fire, covering nearly 38,000 acres, is currently 34% contained, while the Camp Fire and the Sioux Fire also continue to impact the region. Due to the spread of these fires, officials have extended the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness until Oct. 1. Nearly 1,000 crew members have been working to contain the flames since a lightning storm ignited more than a dozen fires in July. Crews are currently clearing brush and triaging structures to ensure they are defensible as warm temperatures and steady winds return to the area.