Minnesota wildfires disappoint travelers and outfitters

ELY, Minn. (AP) — Ely is typically teeming this time of year with visitors heading out on or returning from excursions into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. But about the only cars in the northeastern Minnesota town with canoes strapped to their tops this week are leaving. Several fires inside and just outside the country’s most visited wilderness area led officials to close it last weekend. Minnesota Public Radio reports that it has dealt a blow to those who spent months planning their trips to the area and to the outfitters and other businesses that depend on them.