The wildfire in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was 55 percent contained Saturday evening as firefighters continued to use explosives along the western flank of the fire to break up large chunks of dead trees in the blowdown area.
Fire officials said the fire line explosives proved to be an effective tool and the size of the fire remained about the same at close to 50 acres over recent days.
The fire started July 14 in the blowdown area, where a 1999 storm toppled millions of trees over about 500 square miles. Those trees have been serving as the fire's main source of fuel.
Forecast for today's temperatures is 85 to 89 degrees, with increased humidity. The area also is expected to receive close to 1 inch of rain by Monday, officials said.
About 530 people were working on the fire, which has cost more than $5.8 million to fight.
