Greenwood Fire

The Greenwood Fire was a wildfire in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota in the United States. First noted near Greenwood Lake in Lake County on August 15, 2021, it is believed to have been sparked by lightning.^[1][2][3] The fire burned 26,797 acres, largely within the Superior National Forest, destroying 14 buildings and damaging 3 more.^[4][5] By early October, the fire was considered largely spent, although parts continued to smolder.^[6]

Greenwood Fire
A forested area burned by the fire
Date(s)	August 15, 2021 (2021-08-15) – October 1, 2021 (2021-10-01)
Location	SW of Isabella, Minnesota
Coordinates	47.553°N 91.648°W / 47.553; -91.648
Statistics
Burned area	26,797 acres 42 square miles 108 square kilometres 10,844 hectares
Impacts
Deaths	0
Non-fatal injuries	0
Structures destroyed	14
Ignition
Cause	Lightning
Map
Location in Northern Minnesota

US Forest Service map of the Greenwood Fire as of August 28th, 2021

The fire prompted the evacuation of more than 290 homes and resulted in the temporary closure of the entire nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for the first time since the 1970s.^[7] The closure began August 20 for a period of one week and was extended another week to end September 3.^[8] All area and road closures were lifted by early October.^[6]

More than 400 firefighters were called to help contain the fire, which was at 49% containment as of September 7.^[4][9] By September 20th, the fire was at 80% containment and considered well-managed; evacuees began to return to their properties.^[10] In early October, firefighting duties returned to Forest Service management and the number of firefighters assigned dipped below 100.^[6]

The fire was believed to have been worsened by the 2020-21 North American drought.^[9][11] On August 18, 2021, the Department of Natural Resources announced that three watersheds of northern Minnesota had experienced "exceptional drought intensity." That classification had not been used since the scale was created in 2000. DNR added that "the current drought is not as severe as the historic droughts of 1988-89 or the 1930s."^[12]

See also

• 2011 Pagami Creek Fire

References

1. "Greenwood Fire expected to cross Highway 1; more evacuations begin". Duluth News Tribune. August 23, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
2. Wolfe, Dan (2021-08-24). "Greenwood Fire grows to 10,500 acres; security camera captures flames burning through property". KBJR. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
3. "Strong winds push Greenwood fire farther northeast, likely destroying homes". FOX 9. 2021-08-23. Archived from the original on 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
4. "Greenwood Fire". InciWeb: Incident Information System. Superior National Forest - US Forest Service. August 24, 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
5. Swanson, Kristen (2021-08-25). "Officials report 12 structures destroyed, 3 damaged in Greenwood Fire". KSTP. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
6. "Superior National Forest rescinds more wildfire closure areas". Duluth News Tribune. October 2, 2021. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
7. Hollingsworth, Jana (August 23, 2021). "Minnesota's largest wildfire likened to a 'freight train' as it grows, spurs more evacuations". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
8. Hollingsworth, Jana (August 25, 2021). "Greenwood fire doubles, grows to 30 square miles". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
9. Manier, Miranda (August 23, 2021). "Additional evacuations ordered as Greenwood Fire continues burning". kare11.com. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
10. Collin, Liz (2021-09-20). "Greenwood Fire Now 80% Contained, But May Still Burn For Months To Come". WCCO-TV CBS 4 Minnesota. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
11. Taylor, Derrick Bryson (2021-08-24). "A wildfire in Minnesota is behaving like a 'freight train,' a fire official said". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
12. "Portions of Minnesota enter drought restrictive phase". Minnesota DNR. August 18, 2021. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.