The Greenwood fire operational briefing for September 5, 2021 is now posted on Facebook.  It may be viewed using the attached link.

GREENWOOD FIRE QUICK FACTS:   ACRES: 26,089                      CONTAINMENT: 37%                      PERSONNEL: 428
 
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. Fourteen 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:  Crews continued cooling hot spots near the line to secure the western and northern perimeter of the fire.  In some areas, they were able to do fuels mitigation work and began hauling out fire hose and other equipment, as the threat to structures was reduced.  In the south and east, fire personnel used tracked equipment to build direct line along the uncontained edge.  Heavy equipment worked south down Stony Grade Road, further improving the contingency line.

TODAY:  Fire crews will patrol and mop up along the Highway 1 and 2 corridors.  Hand crews and tracked equipment will continue direct line construction along the north and east perimeters of the fire.  The Structure Group will continue the structure assessment work along the Highway 1 corridor.

WEATHER/FIRE BEHAVIOR:  A series of cold fronts are expected to move into the region with slight chances for showers or storms as well as breezy and gusty winds at times.  Temperatures should in the upper 60’s to around 70 degrees with afternoon RH’s in the mid 40 to around 50% range as well. 

SAFETY & EVACUATIONS:  The Lake County Sheriff reopened the closed and evacuated section of Hwy 2 (between Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 1) to home and cabin owners in the Greenwood Lake, Sand Lake and Dunka River Road areas.  Each property owner has been given 2 checkpoint passes that need to be shown each time they enter Hwy 2 through one of the check-points (either at the intersection of Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 2 on the south end or Hwy 1 and Hwy 2 on the north end).  Passes are currently limited to property owners and their immediate families to limit traffic for fire crew safety.  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 FAQ for more information.  Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: MN DNR Wildland Fire Information.

 GREENWOOD FIRE DAILY UPDATE – Saturday, September 4, 2021 

Greenwood Fire information on Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7805/ 

Public Information Line: 218-499-9441 or email: 2021.greenwood@firenet.gov  -  Media inquiries: 614-205-9333 

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

 

GREENWOOD FIRE QUICK FACTS: ACRES: 26,089   CONTAINMENT: 37% PERSONNEL: 469 

 

 A Community Meeting was held last night at the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.  A recording of the meeting is posted on the Superior National Forest Facebook page.  Watch it to get a comprehensive understanding of the current fire situation. 

SUMMARY:  Started by lightning, the Greenwood Fire was detected on August 15, 2021, around 3:00 p.m. on the Laurentian Ranger District.  Generally, the fire is between Greenwood Lake and the intersections of Highways 1 and 2.  The communities of Ely, Babbitt, Finland, Toimi-Brimson, and areas along the North Shore are not threatened by this fire.  The objective of fire management for the Greenwood Fire is full suppression using all available resources.  Due to favorable weather and fire efforts, the threat to cabins, homes, and recreational sites in the area is greatly diminished.  Fourteen primary structures and 57 outbuildings were destroyed on August 23.  

 

YESTERDAY: Fire crews worked along the western and northern perimeter patrolling and mopping up any pockets of heat they found. Firefighters scouted for opportunities to build direct line on the southern boundary in difficult terrain.  Mechanized heavy logging equipment made good progress on the contingency line along the Stony Grade from Highway 1 to Highway 11. 

TODAY:  Fire crews will continue mopping up along the western and northern fire perimeter. They will be looking for opportunities to construct direct fire line along the eastern and southern fire perimeter.  Heavy equipment will be completing the contingency line along the Stony Grade Road and some of the contracted equipment will be demobilized from the incident.  The structure protection group will continue their work around residences today. 

WEATHER/FIRE BEHAVIOR:  A front moved over the area Friday night, bringing high pressure into the region for the weekend. Today’s high is expected to be 70 degrees and relative humidity around 40%.   Winds will be from the west and northwest, with frequent gusts up to 25 MPH.  With the gusty winds, some creeping and possibly some surface spread in exposed dry marsh grass is possible but no significant fire movement is anticipated.   

SAFETY & EVACUATIONS:  On Friday, September 3, 2021, at 8:00 a.m., the Lake County Sheriff reopened Hwy 2 (between Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 1) to home and cabin owners in the Greenwood Lake, Sand Lake and Dunka River Road areas.  Each property owner will be given 2 check-point passes that will need to be shown each time they enter Hwy 2 through one of the check-points (either at the intersection of Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 2 on the south end or Hwy 1 and Hwy 2 on the north end).  Passes are currently limited  to property owners and their immediate families in order to limit traffic for fire crew safety.  For information about entering your property, call Lake County Dispatch, 218-510-0640.  You can 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 FAQ for more information.  Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: MN DNR Wildland Fire Information.   

Please click on the link below to watch the video recording from the Greenwood Fire Community Meeting on Friday, September 3, 2021, in Finland, Minnesota.

The Greenwood Fire Operational Briefing for Friday, September 3, 2021, can be viewed using the attached link to the Superior National Forest Facebook page.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:  There will be a Community Meeting for the Greenwood Fire tonight, Friday, September 3, 2021, at 6:00 p.m. at the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center located at 6282 Cranberry Road, Finland, MN.  The meeting will be live streamed on the Superior National Forest’s Facebook page.  Come meet the new incident management team and get a current fire update.  Meeting attendees are requested to follow current CDC guidelines regarding the use of face masks, social distancing, and handwashing. 

SUMMARY:  Started by lightning, the Greenwood Fire was detected on August 15, 2021, around 3:00 p.m. on the Laurentian Ranger District.  Generally, the fire is between Greenwood Lake and the intersections of Highways 1 and 2.  The communities of Ely, Babbitt, Finland, Toimi-Brimson, and areas along the North Shore are not threatened by this fire.  The objective of fire management for the Greenwood Fire is full suppression using all available resources.  Due to favorable weather and fire efforts, the threat to cabins, homes, and recreational sites in the area is greatly diminished.  Fourteen primary structures and 57 outbuildings were destroyed on August 23.  

 

YESTERDAY:  Crews continued securing the western and northern perimeter of the fire, looking for any areas of heat and mopping them up.  In the south and east, fire personnel scouted for opportunities to build direct line along the uncontained edge.  Heavy equipment worked south down Stony Grade Road. 

TODAY:  Fire crews will continue mop up and remove hazardous trees along the Highway 1 and 2 corridors.  Crews are still scouting along the southern and eastern edge for direct line construction opportunities while the weather moderates fire behavior.  Heavy equipment will complete the contingency line improvement on Stony Grade Road.  

WEATHER/FIRE BEHAVIOR:  A cold front moved into the region last night bringing a chance of rain through today.  Temperatures will remain cool and humidity will be higher than average.  Behind the front and through the weekend, winds are expected to shift to the northwest and become gusty.  Temperatures and relative humidity will return to more typical for the season. 

SAFETY & EVACUATIONS:  At 8:00 a.m. the Lake County Sheriff reopened the closed and evacuated section of Hwy 2 (between Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 1) to home and cabin owners in the Greenwood Lake, Sand Lake and Dunka River Road areas.  Each property owner will be given 2 check-point passes that will need to be shown each time they enter Hwy 2 through one of the check-points (either at the intersection of Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 2 on the south end or Hwy 1 and Hwy 2 on the north end).  Passes are currently limited  to property owners and their immediate families in order to limit traffic for fire crew safety.  For information about entering your property, call Lake County Dispatch, 218-510-0640.  You can 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 FAQ for more information.  Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: MN DNR Wildland Fire Information.   

 Superior National Forest Closure #R9-09-21-17

 The Superior National Forest has modified the closure order surrounding the Greenwood Fire. See the linked document for more information.

From the Lake County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, September 2, 2021:

"As of Friday, September 3rd, 2021 at 8:00am, the closed and evacuated section of Hwy 2 (between Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 1) will be reopened only to home and cabin owners along the county roadway that includes the Greenwood Lake, Sand Lake and Dunka River Road areas.

Each property owner will be given 2 check-point passes that will need to be shown each time they enter Hwy 2 through one of the check-points (either at the intersection of Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 2 on the south end or Hwy 1 and Hwy 2 on the north end). At this time, we are limiting this access to property owners and their immediate families in order to limit traffic for fire crew safety.

The check-point passes must be picked up by the property owner, who will need to show a driver’s license for ID. The passes list the property address and the owner’s home address, which should also match the property owner’s ID. The use of your check-point permit is only for traveling from the check-point to your personal property.

If you should have anyone additional coming to your property, you will be required to meet them at the check-point and escort them to your property. Check-point passes can be picked up at the check-point location at the intersection of Forest Hwy 11 and Hwy 2 starting at 8am Friday morning. If you will need to pick up your pass at the intersection of Hwy 2 and Hwy 1, please call dispatch to let us know (218-834-8385, option1). Currently, there is still fire crew activity going on along Hwy 2.

Fire crews, Forest Service personnel and other agencies are actively working on fire containment and it is important all property owners are aware of this. Please drive slowly. At times, it is likely to be smoky and visibility possibly reduced, so please be extra cautious and watch out for the fire crews. The west side of the fire, on the east side of Hwy 2, appears to be secure, but conditions could change at any time. This is still an active fire and due to wind and weather conditions, there is always the possibility that the fire could spread, which could result in another evacuation of this area. So, be prepared in case this should happen."

  

GREENWOOD FIRE DAILY UPDATE – Thursday, September 2, 2021

 

NOTICE: The Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 3, Mike Almas, Incident Commander, assumed command of the Greenwood, John Ek, and Whelp fires on September 2, 2021, at 6:00 a.m.  Special thanks to Eastern Area Gold Team for a smooth transition.  The NRIMT will be scheduling a public meeting for the Greenwood Fire soon, so please watch for that announcement.

 

YESTERDAY:  Moderate weather helped firefighters continue to make progress finding and cooling pockets of heat near the containment lines.  Heavy equipment operators continued improvements of the Stony River Grade Road, serving as the primary eastern containment line of the fire.  Shaded fuel break construction continued along Highway 1. The fire acreage for the Greenwood Fire is now at 26,068 acres with 37 percent containment.  The John Ek and Whelp Fires, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, are at 1,350 acres and 50 acres, respectively, with no containment.
 
 TODAY:  Today’s operational priorities are: continue mop-up, improve containment lines, and remove hazardous and fallen trees along roads.  With higher humidity and a chance of some rain in the forecast, firefighters will look for opportunities to use direct firefighting tactics along the eastern fire perimeter.  Heavy equipment will continue working on the shaded fuel break to improve containment lines along Hwy 1 and the Stony River Grade Road.  A total of 493 fire personnel are on the Greenwood Fire.

WEATHER/FIRE BEHAVIOR:  Low winds and higher humidity will continue throughout the morning.  Skies are expected to be cloudy with highs in the upper 60’s and a trace chance of showers in the afternoon. Winds will be from the southeast with peak gusts of 15 mph.  Tomorrow evening, an additional chance of rain of about a tenth of an inch is predicted.
 
  SUMMARY:  Started by lightning, the Greenwood Fire was detected on August 15, 2021, around 3 pm on the Laurentian Ranger District.  Generally, the fire is between Greenwood Lake and the intersections of Highways 1 and 2.  The communities of Ely, Babbitt, Finland, Toimi-Brimson, and areas along the North Shore are not threatened by this fire.  The objective of fire management for the Greenwood Fire is full suppression using all available resources.  Due to favorable weather and fire efforts, the threat to cabins, homes, and recreational sites in the area is greatly diminished.  Fourteen primary structures and 57 outbuildings were destroyed on August 23.
 
SAFETY & EVACUATIONS:  Evacuation orders in the Slate Lake area have been lifted.  This includes the area from Chub Lake to the New Tomahawk Road.  Properties in this area can be accessed from the New Tomahawk Road, coming from Babbitt, or Hwy 1 approaching from Ely.  The Slate Lake Area is not accessible from Hwy 2.  Evacuation orders are still in effect for McDougal Lake, the Highway 2 corridor, and the Mitawan Lake Road area.  Lake County sheriff’s office is looking at safety considerations for possibly lifting evacuation orders in other areas.  For information about entering your property, call Lake County Dispatch, 218-510-0640.  You can also sign up for emergency text alerts and calls from Lake County at: https://www.co.lake.mn.us/emergency-management/.
 
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 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 info 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 FAQ for more information.  Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: MN DNR Wildland Fire Information.