safety
Camp Widjiwagan sank its canoes to save them from fire. Now they’re back.
Summary by The Minneapolis Editorial Desk Star Tribune
· August 11, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: Star Tribune · view original
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by The Minneapolis Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Published by Star Tribune Original story Read at the source Source published Aug 11, 2026 Indexed here Aug 11, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key takeaway The canoes, known as "woodies," were submerged in Burntside Lake for three weeks as the wildfires burned.
A YMCA camp in the area took measures to protect its canoes from wildfires. The camp sank its historic wooden canoes to the bottom of a lake to save them from the fire. The canoes, known as "woodies," were submerged in Burntside Lake for three weeks as the wildfires burned.
A total of 19 canoes were sunk in the lake. Further details about the camp and its efforts to protect its canoes are available from the Star Tribune. The camp's actions were successful in saving the canoes, which are now back.
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Category: safety Published: August 11, 2026 Source: Star Tribune Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A YMCA camp in the area took measures to protect its canoes from wildfires. The camp sank its historic wooden canoes to the bottom of a lake to save them from the fire. The canoes, known as…
When was this published? This article was first published on August 11, 2026 by Star Tribune and curated for The Minneapolis readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Star Tribune. To learn more about how The Minneapolis selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
Where can I find related coverage? See more safety coverage from The Minneapolis, or browse our daily briefing and topic hubs .
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