No acreage expansion reported in Greenwood Fire
As an extremely rare evacuation of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is underway, the U.S. Forest Service-Superior National Forest is reporting that the raging wildfire did not expand it's reach over the weekend.
The Greenwood Fire was estimated on Sunday to be 9,067 acres, which is the same size reported on Saturday. None of the fire has been contained and several other smaller wildfires have been reported in the BWCA.
"They didn't see a lot of movement from the fire yesterday," said Joanna Gilkeson, a public information officer for the Forest Service. "It was very very active Friday and then kind of stayed in its footprint yesterday."
Gilkeson said that the John Elk fire (whose name is based on a misspelling of John Ek Lake) remained around 1,500 acres on Sunday. It's one of several smaller, but rapidly growing fires inside the BWCA. The John Elk fire expanded Friday from 3 acres to its current footprint and the Forest Service is monitoring the Whelp fire as well.
Gilkeson said there are around seven fires in the area and at least two fires inside the BWCA that are "remote and hard to reach," which is why the decision to close the wilderness was made to prioritize limited resources.
"We're using the same resources to respond to all the fires and any crisis that were to occur in the Boundary Waters," she said, adding that a search and rescue would have to utilize a plane currently being used to fight wildfires.
The first BWCA evacuation in 45 years is, unlike the regional drought, a very "fluid situation," she said. While it's more of a proactive rather than emergency evacuation, Gilkeson said the evacuation is now slated for seven days. Permits from Saturday through Aug. 27 have been canceled.
Chances for rain on Friday were instead a "trickle," Gilkeson said and while there is a slight chance of rain Sunday evening, she said it's not enough to make a big difference.
"We need a several-day downpour," she said.
The Forest Service is hosting a meeting Sunday evening for people to learn more about the John Elk and Whelp fires at the Schaap Community Center/Gunflint Trail Fire Department. Similar meetings on the Greenwood Fire are in the works for this week.
Kim Hyatt • 612-673-4751
