>> Eric: WELCOME TO "ALMANAC."

COMING UP IN THE NEXT HOUR, REPUBLICAN U.S.

SENATE PRIMARY CANDIDATE ADAM SCHWARZE JOINS US, HENNEPIN COUNTY ATTORNEY MARY MORIARTY DISCUSSES FATAL FEDERAL AGENT SHOOTINGS OF ALEX PRETTI AND RENEE GOOD, KEVIN KLING HAS AN ESSAY, AND PRODUCING TEAM ALAUNA YUST AND DAVID CHECK OUT AN EXHIBIT AT THE HENNEPIN HISTORY MUSEUM.

>> Cathy: WE START TONIGHT WITH THE BIG WILDFIRES BURNING IN THE BOREAL FORESTS OF THE ARROWHEAD REGION IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA AND ACROSS THE CANADIAN BORDER IN ONTARIO.

SEVERAL OF THESE FIRES ARE ACTIVE IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS AREA CANOE WILDERNESS, WHICH CLOSED ON TUESDAY NIGHT.

JUST THE THIRD TIME IN ITS HISTORY THE ENTIRE WILDERNESS HAS BEEN COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN.

EVACUATION OF PADDLERS AND CAMPERS CONTINUES AS WE HEAD INTO THE WEEKEND.

WITH THE MAJORITY OF FIRES BURNING OUTSIDE THE BWCA, ROADS HAVE CLOSED AND THERE ARE SEVERAL AREAS OF EVACUATIONS IN ST.

LOUIS AND LAKE COUNTY NEAR ELY, MINNESOTA.

THE GUNFLINT TRAIL, LOCATED IN COOK COUNTY, HAS TWO SECTIONS UNDER THE READY OR SET STAGE BUT NO EVACUATION ORDERS YET.

FOLLOWING THIS FAST-MOVING STORY, COOK COUNTY-BASED JOURNALIST JOE FREDRICKS.

HE HEADS UP THE WEBSITE AND PODCAST “PADDLE AND PORTAGE."

HE JOINS US FROM ROCKWOOD LODGE AND OUTFITTERS ALONG THE GUNFLINT TRAIL.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, JOE.

>> CATHY, GOOD TO EE YOU ALWAYS, ERIC, ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO.

>> Cathy: WE SHOULD PROBABLY TELL FOLKS THIS SITUATION IS HISTORIC IN TERMS OF THE SCOPE OF THE FIRES AND THE FACT THAT IT'S PRETTY UNUSUAL TO HAVE FIRES LIKE THIS, THE TIMING OF THEM, JULY IS NOT USUALLY FIRE SEASON, RIGHT?

>> MM, THAT'S RIGHT, YEAH.

I MEAN, MAY IS OFTEN THE TIME WE HAVE FIRES, IT'S NOT NHEARD OF THAT WE WOULD HAVE THEM IN THE SUMMER LIKE THIS.

LAST CLOSURE OF THE BWCA WHICH WAS THE GREENWOOD FIRE IN 2021 WAS IN AUGUST INTO LABOR DAY THAT YEAR.

SO IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE SAME TIME PERIOD BUT THE SCALE OF THESE AS OU'RE SAYING IS DEFINITELY WHAT'S GETTING THE ATTENTION.

>> Eric: WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT DEATHS, INJURIES AND VALUE OF PROPERTY LOSS?

>> THERE ARE NO INJURIES.

NO DEATHS, NO INJURIES, ERIC.

I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 10,000 PEOPLE, SOMEWHERE ESTIMATES OF 6 TO 10 IN BWC A AND I THINK WE CAN SAFELY SAY 10,000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VACATED FROM CANOE COUNTRY IN THE PAST THREE, FOUR DAYS THIS WEEK.

ALL WEEK BASICALLY.

AND IT'S AMAZING.

ED COORDINATION THAT'S TAKEN PLACE AND THAT EVERYBODY HAS GOTTEN OUT SAFELY.

ESTIMATES ARE THAT MOST PEOPLE NOW ARE OUT.

THERE WERE A COUPLE PEOPLE I KNOW THAT CAME OUT TODAY ON THIS SIDE OF THE WILDERNESS, THE EAST SIDE, THE GUNFLINT SIDE AS IT'S COMMONLY CALLED, SO MOST PEOPLE ARE OUT OF THE WILDERNESS NOW, NO INJURIES, NO DEATHS.

STRUCTURES, THERE HAVE EEN SOME POP-UP STRUCTURES AROUND THE ELY AREA WHERE A CABIN BURNED, I KNOW BURNTSIDE BUT NOTHING, I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE WILDERNESS, YOU KNOW, THE BOUNDARY WATERS EING REMOTE AS IT IS NOW WE'RE GETTING REMOTE WITHIN THAT WILDERNESS, WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THESE FIRES ARE.

SO NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF STRUCTURE DAMAGE.

>> Cathy: I WANT TO TALK ABOUT EVACUATIONS, JOE, IN JUST A MINUTE BUT FOR FOLKS MAYBE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT AREA OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA YOU'RE ON THE GUNFLINT, RIGHT, ON THE GUNFLINT SIDE.

IT SEEMS LIKE T'S WORSE AROUND ELY, WOULD THAT BE RIGHT >> DEFINITELY, YEAH.

THAT'S WHERE THE MAJORITY OF THIS IS BEING FELT IN TERMS OF CLOSURE OF THE FERNBERG CORRIDOR, SIMILAR TO THE GUNFLINT TRAIL, A GATEWAY TO THE BOUNDARY WATERS.

THAT ROAD WAS SHUT DOWN, PEOPLE WERE EVACUATED NOT JUST CANOEISTS, BUT PROPERTY OWNERS, RESORTS, PEOPLE THAT WERE STAYING UP THERE ON VACATION, THEY HAD TO VACUATE.

THAT WAS ON TUESDAY, IT WAS A HUGE PART OF THIS.

AND SO IT'S BEING FELT, I MEAN, THE DISS PLACEMENT TOO OF THESE CANOE CAMPERS THAT ERE EITHER THERE TO DO A TRIP OR HAD TO EVACUATE THE WILDERNESS PEOPLE LOOKING FOR PLACES TO STAY AND PLACES TO EAT AND SO FORTH, I KNOW SOMEBODY THAT SLEPT IN THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PARKING LOT ON MONDAY NIGHT WHEN THE EVACUATIONS STARTED.

SO, YEAH, IT'S BEING FELT IN ELY BUT IT'S CERTAINLY BEING FELT HERE TOO ON THE GUNFLINT, THERE'S NO CANOEISTS GOING INTO THE BOUNDARY WATERS, IT'S SHUT DOWN.

I'M HERE AT ROCKWOOD LODGE AS YOU AID AND ALL THE CANOES ARE BEHIND ME ON THE RACK HERE, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM.

LOT OF CANOES AND QUITE FRANKLY SPEAKING FROM THE BUSINESS ECONOMIC SIDE TESTIFIES THAT'S A LOT OF MONEY SITTING THERE AND ALL THE OUTFITTERS HAVE FULL RELUCTANCE OF CANOES RIGHT NOW.

>> Cathy: WOW.

LET'S TALK ABOUT A FAMILY YOU MET FROM TEXAS, FOLKS COMING OUT OF THE BWCA, TRYING TO FLEE THE FLAMES HAVE BEEN JUST HAIR-RAISING.

YOU MET A FAMILY FROM TEXAS, RIGHT, AND THEY GOT OUT?

>> BAILEY HIN, THE SHIN FAMILY FROM TEXAS THEY WERE UP HERE ON A CANOE TRIP ON THE ELY SIDE AND THEY HAD TO EVACUATE, SAME AS EVERYBODY ELSE, AND THEY KNEW THE CLOSURE WAS TAKING PLACE, WORD OF MOUTH REALLY STARTED O HAPPEN.

OF COURSE THE WILDERNESS RANGERS FOR FOREST SERVICE ARE ALSO IN SPREADING THE WORD BUT WORD OF MOUTH WAS A BIG PART OF THIS.

THIS KNEW IT WAS TIME TO GET GOING AND THE CAMPFIRE WHICH WAS BURNING NEAR ELY REALLY KICKED OFF EARLIER IN THE WEEK AND MADE A BIG RUN WHICH SET OFF THE CLOSURE OF THE FERNBERG AND THAT WAS HAPPENING BEHIND THEM, THIS FAMILY CAMPED AT A CAMPSITE AND THEY'RE PACKED UP TO GO AND IT REALLY TOOK OFF.

OTHER CANOEISTS WERE SHOUTING AT THEM, IT'S BEHIND YOU, YOU GOTTA GET GOING, GO NOW!

AND SHE VIDEOTAPED THEM GETTING IN THEIR CANOE AND LEAVING THE CAMPSITE, THEY LEFT STUFF, A NEW TENT THEY BOUGHT AT THE SITE, DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO GET IT.

AND THE VIDEO OF THAT IS POWERFUL TO SEE OF THE FIRE CLOSING IN ON THEM AT THEIR CAMPSITE.

THEY MADE IT OUT SAFELY OF COURSE BUT IT WAS LOSE, THERE WERE SIMILAR INCIDENTS IN QUETICO, CLOSE CALLS.

>> Eric: LIGHTNING STRIKES STARTED ALL OF THIS AND I WONDER IF THIS IS BEYOND THE NATURAL LIFE YCLE OF A FOREST.

>> WELL, YES, LIGHTNING TRIKES ON JULY 6TH WE HAD A STORM WITH NOT A LOT OF RAIN AND A LOT OF LIGHTNING AND THAT SPARKED THIS OFF AND WE HAD THAT HEAT.

WE WERE UP THE GUNFLINT MONDAY THIS WEEK, 103 DEGREES UP THE GUNFLINT TRAIL SO EXCESSIVE HEAT, WIND KICKED UP HOSE FIRES AND THERE'S SOMETHING KNOWN AS SPRUCE BUDWORM, IT'S KILLED A LOT OF BALSAM AND SPRUCE TREES ACROSS THE BWCA AND ALL OVER COOK LAKE, ST.

LOUIS COUNTY, SO THERE'S DRY DEAD TREES AND CONDITIONS WERE RIGHT FOR THIS TO OCCUR.

WHETHER OR NOT IT'S, YOU KNOW, NATURAL PART OF THIS SHOULD ALL BE HAPPENING, THERE'S PEOPLE THAT DEBATE, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY NOT THE RIGHT TIME NOW TO WEIGH IN ON THAT JUST BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF EMOTION TIED UP IN WHAT'S HAPPENED THIS WEEK.

BUT IT'S, FIRE IS A PART OF THE ECOSYSTEM HERE.

THAT WOULD BE A FAIR STATEMENT FOR SURE.

>> Cathy: JOE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

ALWAYS GOOD TO TALK WITH YOU.