Greenwood Fire burns nearly 26,000 acres in northeast Minnesota

Twenty miles northwest of Silver Bay

12:29 p.m. CDT August 26, 2021

Greenwood Fire, August 15, 2021 Minnesota
Greenwood Fire, August 15, 2021. US Forest Service photo.

The Greenwood Fire has burned nearly 26,000 acres in Northeast Minnesota in the 10 days since it started from a lightning strike August 15. The fire is 20 air miles northwest of Lake Superior and the community of Silver Bay.

The vegetation that is burning, brush and timber, has very low fuel moistures, similar to late fall conditions. The Energy Release Component which can help predict the intensity and rate of spread of a fire, is extremely high, between the 90th and 97th percentile.

Greenwood Fire
Greenwood Fire in northeast Minnesota, August 23, 2021.

On Wednesday the  fire was active in the southern portion. Firing operations were conducted along Highway 1 and the Jackpot Lake Road and along Highway 2 at the southwest end of the fire.

Greenwood Fire map Aug. 25, 2021
Greenwood Fire map Aug. 25, 2021

The priority Thursday is to hold and improve after Wednesday’s firing operations. With the support of air resources, engines, bulldozers, and other equipment crews will reduce the burnable natural fuels near homes and near the edge of the fire.

A total of 476 personnel are working on the fire, including cooperators and contractors.

The weather forecast for Thursday includes a 40 percent chance of rain in the afternoon which will be the beginning of a wet pattern that should persist until Sunday morning, bringing more than an inch of precipitation. This could mean photographs like these will not be possible for a while.

Greenwood Fire Minnesota
Greenwood Fire, defensive burn-out operation, August 22, 2021. InciWeb.

The Greenwood Fire and others were easily detected by the GOES-16 satellite:

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.

7 thoughts on “Greenwood Fire burns nearly 26,000 acres in northeast Minnesota”

  1. Hi Bill, maybe you could explain the differences between this wet swampy area and the dry mountain area where this fire of 1en days would be far larger than 20,000 acres. Particularly, why this defensive operation alongside a swamp?

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    1. Jerry – how come fires in the Okiefenokee NWR swamp burn over 100,000 acres on as regular basis?

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    2. I agree with Bill. You can also look at history and check out the reading of the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871.

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      1. Indeed. Or research the red lake and moose lake fires in the late 1800’s…900,000 acres each in “swamp”. (Or maybe a little logging slash).

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    3. I live in the area of the fire. Our precipitation this year is down about 10 inches. Hasn’t really rained all summer, so large portions of our wetlands/swamps are dry. Bogs are so dry, that the fire is burning below ground.

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