Photo: Superior National Forest Facebook page

2PM UPDATE FROM THE SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST FACEBOOK PAGE

From the Superior National Forest - August 20, 2021

GREENWOOD FIRE UPDATE – AUGUST 20, 2021    

 

Yesterday: 

The fire grew to 4,734 acres with no containment.  Day and night shift fire crews continued structure protection on the west side within the Highway 2 corridor, McDougal and Stony River areas.  There are no reports of structures lost. Hand crews, equipment and engine crews continued fireline construction and laying hoseline on the southern edge at the fire’s base.  New crews and equipment arrived to assist in fire suppression and in scouting locations for constructing fireline.  A public meeting was held in Finland to discuss the fire activity, suppression response and what is expected over the next few days.  The meeting and Q&A’s are posted on the Superior NF Facebook Page.    

Today and Tonight:

Hand crews, engines, equipment, and aircraft will continue fire suppression during this critical fire weather day. Structure protection, including brush clearing, creating defensible space, and hose laying will continue.  Personnel have increased to 253 with 3 hand crews, 38 engines, 2 dozers, 3 tenders, and 3 aircraft assigned to the incident in addition to engines, equipment and aircraft from cooperators and partners.  

WEATHER/FIRE BEHAVOIR: 

We are expecting critical fire weather today with high winds ahead of a thunderstorm.  Hot and dry conditions will contribute to the potential for very active or extreme fire behavior this afternoon.             

SUMMARY: 

The Greenwood Fire was detected on August 15, 2021, around 3 pm on the Laurentian Ranger District. The fire is near Greenwood Lake and approximately 15 miles southwest of Isabella, Crews are responding with full suppression using ground resources and aircraft. The fire is threatening cabins, homes, and recreational sites. The cause of the fire is lightning.   

SAFETY & EVACUATIONS: 

Lake County Sheriff’s office evacuation orders are in effect for McDougal Lake, Sand Lake, the Highway 2 corridor, and just north of Highway 1. For information regarding evacuations contact Lake County Emergency Management at 773-844-6449. You can sign up for emergency text alerts and calls from Lake County here:  https://www.co.lake.mn.us/emergency-management/.  There is a Red Cross shelter at the Finland Community Center for those who have been evacuated. If you need shelter, you can contact the shelter manager at 425-677-5776.  Lake County Emergency Management set up a pet shelter front of the community center.  If your pets need shelter, you can contact them at the emergency management number above.    

CLOSURES:   

• Hwy 2 is closed from Forest Hwy 11 to Hwy 1. Hwy 1 is closed from New Tomahawk Rd to Lankinen Rd.  
• A Forest Service closure order is in place to protect public health and safety due to the Greenwood Fire.  It extends across areas within the Kawishiwi, Laurentian, and Tofte Ranger Districts and a small portion of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  To see the full Forest order and other alerts go to:  https://www.fs.usda.gov/superior. 

A Temporary Flight Restriction for aircraft is in effect over the fire area.  

FIRE INFORMATION:  For Greenwood Fire information, visit Inciweb at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7805/  or call 218-499-9441. For all other fires on the Superior National Forest, please call 218-214-7844.   

AIR QUALITY: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert effective until 3 p.m. on Friday, August 20, for the inland portion of Minnesota’s Lake County. For other areas go to: Air Quality Index webpage.  

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: Fire restrictions are in place for the Superior National Forest and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for areas within state jurisdiction Cook and Lake Counties and northern St. Louis County.   

Follow these links: 
Superior National Forest:  Fire Restrictions Order and our Campfire Restrictions
See our FAQ for more information.    
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:  MN DNR Wildland Fire Information.