Fire Drill
You're deep in the woods when a tree catches fire. Now what?
My wife, Ali, and I are both veteran canoeists. It was September, and we were in one of our favorite places, just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. We watched a pack of wolves chase a moose into a lake and had to put out a forest fire. I guess you'd say it was a memorable trip.
![Illustration of a couple carrying a canoe](/sites/default/files/styles/localcolumnwidth/public/2023-12/SL1_SO12_Survive.jpg.webp?itok=cqIjWdh_)
![Illustration of a couple with a bucket of water and a burning tree](/sites/default/files/styles/localcolumnwidth/public/2023-12/SL2_SO12_Survive.jpg.webp?itok=m_nK76eX)
![illustation of a hand calling on a radio](/sites/default/files/styles/localcolumnwidth/public/2023-12/SL3_SO12_Survive.jpg.webp?itok=kSVodSjx)
![illustration of fire fighters putting out a burning tree](/sites/default/files/styles/localcolumnwidth/public/2023-12/SL4_SO12_Survive.jpg.webp?itok=5y_Kn7wS)
ASK THE EXPERT
Ann Schwaller is a wilderness specialist at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
"Should you find a small creeping fire, consider its size and whether you and your group are capable of safely tackling it with water and/or sand. If so, be a hero and put out the fire and report it. But if the wind is blowing hard and the fire is getting large, flee into a lake, into a recently burned area, or back down the portage. Contact the Forest Service and/or 911 only after you feel safe."