The Magazine of The Sierra Club
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.
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."
