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Superior National Forest - Greenwood Lake wildfire update - September 6, 2021

Sep 06, 2021 10:12AM ● By Editor

Photo: Superior National Forest


From Superior National Forest - September 6, 2021

GREENWOOD FIRE QUICK FACTS: 

ACRES: 26,089 CONTAINMENT: 37% PERSONNEL: 357

SUMMARY: Started by lightning, the Greenwood Fire was detected on August 15, 2021, about 3:00 p.m. on the Laurentian Ranger District. The fire started approximately ten miles southwest of Isabella. Thanks to favorable weather and fire efforts, the threat to cabins, homes, and recreational sites in the area is greatly diminished. Fire crews continue to secure the fire perimeter to ensure the safety of residents when they return to their homes and the sheriff will lift evacuations as soon as it is safe to do so. 14 primary structures and 57 outbuildings were destroyed on August 23. The objective of fire management for the Greenwood Fire is full suppression using all available resources.

YESTERDAY: Engines patrolled the western and northern perimeter of the fire, looking for any heat. Crews completed line and mop up around previous spots near the Stoney River. The heavy equipment task force completed their fuel break and concentrated on cleaning up slash on Stoney River Grade. The structure group finished their work and those resources will be inserted into other areas of the fire where needed.

TODAY: Firefighters will be inserted by boat to begin constructing fire line east and west of Greenwood Lake. Tracked equipment will work on containment line on the southeast perimeter to augment existing hand constructed fire line. Crews will also use the McGregor Lake road to access areas of heat in the northeast portion of the fire’s interior. Along the northeast perimeter, equipment and crews will continue to construct containment line on the fire edge.

WEATHER/FIRE BEHAVIOR: A brief warming period in the morning will precede a storm system moving through the area. Clouds are expected to develop later in the day bringing a slight chance of thunderstorms. Tonight through Tuesday evening, several rounds of showers will move through the fire area, but will not result in more than a tenth to a quarter inch of rain.

SAFETY & EVACUATIONS: At 9:00 am on September 6, the Lake County Sheriff will open Hwy 1 from Lankinen Rd to the junction with Hwy 2 for full time residents only. Passes will be issued at the checkpoint to those homeowners. For information about entering your property, call Lake County Dispatch, 218-510-0640. You may also sign up for emergency text alerts and calls from Lake County at https://www.co.lake.mn.us/emergency-management/.

CLOSURES:

  • 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 the Kawishiwi, Laurentian, and Tofte Ranger Districts. On September 1 the closure order was updated to allow use of Stony Spur Trail and a portion of Prospector Loop Trail which allows ATVs to travel safely from Babbitt to Ely. To see the full Forest order and other Forest closures, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/superior.
  • A Temporary Flight Restriction for aircraft is in place over the fire area.

AIR QUALITY: Minnesota smoke outlook: https://fires.airfire.org/outlooks/Minnesota. Additional information for the rest of the state can be found at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air/current-air-quality.

FIRE RESTRICTIONS: Fire restrictions are being evaluated daily and are currently 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. Superior National Forest: Fire Restrictions Order and our Campfire Restrictions. See our FAQfor more information. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: MN DNR Wildland Fire Information.

Greenwood Fire information on Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7805/
Public Information Line: 218-499-9441 or email: [email protected] - Media inquiries: 614-205-9333 

For all other fires on the Superior National Forest: 218-214-7844 

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