ELY — Hundreds of firefighters continue to make progress in containing a huge wildfire in northeastern Minnesota that began a month ago.

A spokesman for the firefighters, Larry Helmerick, said today the 147-square-mile fire in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is 19 percent contained, an improvement from 11 percent on Sunday.

Helmerick said 598 firefighters are on the ground in the Boundary Waters, where helicopters, tankers and bulldozers are being used to battle the blaze that started with a lightning strike Aug. 18.

The weather is expected to clear and the winds pick up today over the huge wildfire burning in northeastern Minnesota after a day of heavier-than-expected rain.

Doug Anderson, a spokesman for the firefighters, said the extra rain on Sunday should keep the fire from spreading.

while giving firefighters a chance to make more progress containing it.

On Sunday afternoon, the 147-square-mile fire was 11 percent contained, mostly on the northwestern and southern edges that are closest to the homes and cabins just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.