ISABELLA, Minn. — Firefighters and equipment continue to flow into northeastern Minnesota, and yet U.S. Forest Service (USFS) officials say there is zero containment of the Greenwood wildfire that has now blacked more than 4.700 acres near Isabella.
An update posted on the USFS incident webpage says 253 firefighters, 38 fire rigs, two bulldozers, three water tenders and three water-dropping aircraft are now assigned to the fire, but additional resources from nearby communities and companies are also being used.
Weather conditions remain dangerous, with high winds gusting ahead of a predicted thunderstorm. There is the possibility storms could actually make things worse, as they bring lightning along with needed rain. USFS announced Thursday that lightning is the cause of the Greenwood Fire.
Significant resources have been deployed along the Highway 2 corridor and near McDougal Lake and Stony River, to protect homes, cabins and businesses in these more populated areas.
USFS announced that as of 2 p.m. Friday, the fire had jumped over Highway 2 just north of Stony Lake, crossing over a Management Action Point. The spread prompted more evacuations in the Sand Lake and Stony Lake areas.
At this time no structures have been reported lost.
Hand and engine crews are working the edges of the fire, constructing fire lines and laying water hoses, while aircraft drop water from above in an effort to suppress the flames.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for McDougal Lake, Sand Lake, the Highway 2 corridor, and the region just north of Highway 1. There are also a handful of closures in place.
- 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.
The Greenwood Fire was first reported around 3 p.m. on August 15, about 15 miles southwest of the community of Isabella.
In a bit of good news a wildfire reported Wednesday just south of Lake Leander and Lake 14 near Britt, MN is confined to 25 acres and is now considered 100% contained. A group of firefighters and three engines are still on the ground doing mop-up work.
