Size of Greenwood Fire remains the same, more personnel to assist Friday
Photo: U.S. Forest Service via AP. In this image provided by the U.S. Forest Service, smoke and a pyrocumulus cloud rise above Highway 1 near Murphy City, Minn, on Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, above the Greenwood Lake wildfire in northeastern Minnesota.
In an update on Friday, the Greenwood Fire has remained the same in size as crews are working to exhaust the flames heading into the weekend.
On Thursday, crews and heavy fire equipment took advantage of cooler conditions and higher humidity to improve firelines in the west and north parts of the Superior National Forest fire, including some use of defensive fire operations. As of Friday morning, the fire remained burning 25,991 acres or just over 40 square miles.
A total of 481 personnel are working on the fire Friday. The Incident Command Post will move to the Finland Community Center, while the present post in Isabella will be maintained as an operations center for crews and equipment.
The weather is expected to remain cooler with chances for rain over the weekend.
Priorities for crews remain to hold and improves firelines with the support of air resources, engines, bulldozers and other equipment and to reduce the burnable natural fuels near homes or near the edge of the fire. According to the U.S. Forest Services, the communities of Ely, Babbitt, Finland, Toimi-Brimson and along the North Shore are not currently threatened by this wildfire.
Since Aug. 23, 12 structures and 57 outbuildings have been destroyed.