By 1980, the ELA region was experiencing a major drought. In May, a fire (Kenora 23 - 1980) began at Kilvert Lake, 20 km to the west of the ELA field station. This fire eventually burned over hundreds of km2 of forest to the north and east of its origin, although none of the designated ELA watersheds was directly affected. Several other fires (Kenora 18 and 20 - 1980) also began in May and burned large areas to the south and southwest of the ELA study lakes.
In June 1980, a new fire (Kenora 114 - 1980), cause unknown, originated several kilometres to the southwest of the ELA field station. Over the next few days, this fire burned over virtually the entire Kenora Experimental Watershed, including the drainage basins of Lakes 239, 303, 304, 661, 470 and 240. Only the immediate area surrounding the field station buildings was protected. The eastern portions of the Lakes 239 and 240 watersheds, which had burned in 1974, were largely reburned, with a complete removal of vegetation cover at many elevated sites.
The drought conditions continued throughout the 1980's, although serious fires were less frequent. In the fall of 1983, a fire burned areas along the north shore of the south basin of Lake 660 (Winnange). This fire also burned portions of the Lakes 658 and 659 watersheds. Several small fires occurred in the region in 1988 but none had significant impacts on ELA watersheds.
Since the mid 1980's, improved forest fire detection systems (automated lightning tracking, infrared detectors on aircraft) have resulted in rapid deployment of suppression crews and aircraft. This, combined with higher precipitation during the 1990's, has precluded any further large fires in the immediate area, although several fires were burning in the region during a dry period in the late spring and early summer of 1995. The closest burned an area to the south of Hillock Lake (161)
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