DULUTH — Another 50 homes and cabins were under evacuation Monday as the Greenwood fire moved closer to state Hwy. 1, also causing some fire crews to retreat.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office is leading the evacuation of residences around Grouse and Mitawan lakes and several others in the area northwest of Isabella, said Matt Pollmann, the county's emergency manager.
The fire, he said, "is about to impact Hwy. 1 if it hasn't already."
"There is substantial fire growth" this afternoon, said Clark McCreedy, public information officer for the interagency team managing the fire.
The fire has moved northeast toward Hwy. 1, triggering more evacuations. Strong, gusty winds, low humidity and high temperatures have created near-critical fire weather, he said, and the fire is expected to jump Hwy. 1 near the intersection of County Hwy. 2. It has moved into the McDougal Lake area, requiring both fire and structure protection crews to retreat. A new Red Cross evacuation center was set up at the Babbitt Municipal Center, replacing the one previously set up in Finland.
Firefighting efforts and improved footprint mapping kept the Greenwood fire, the state's largest active fire, at 8,862 acres overnight. Updated figures weren't available Monday afternoon as the fire grew again.
Loggers began work Sunday to create barriers that can slow a fire's spread. Fire activity — including bursts of rapid spreading, flare-ups and traveling sparks — was most noticeable on its northwest portion and western side.
The nine fires within the Superior National Forest prompted the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness over the weekend for the first time in 45 years. With resources-strapped, the closure allows Forest crews to focus on existing and new fires and not camper safety, as rangers continue to paddle and hike out to visitors to alert them of the closure.
In a social media video posted Monday, Forest Supervisor Connie Cummins explained the decision to close the BWCA.
The forest service has been fighting fire since spring, she said, but drought conditions have continued to worsen to levels "we have not seen to date."
"It's not a decision I make easily," Cummins said, citing the impacts to businesses, visitors who've spent months planning trips and Forest employees who come for long periods to help from all over the country. She said the decision will be re-evaluated daily, and some areas may open sooner than others.
Another large fire within the BWCA, the John Ek fire, is 800 acres. Formerly called the John Elk fire, it was caused by a lightning strike 2.5 miles south of Little Saganaga Lake. Because of poor access, no crews are directly fighting it, save for some aerial water drops. During a Sunday meeting along the Gunflint Trail, fire officials encouraged area property owners to start their sprinkler systems to dampen the ground.
Aircraft, heavy equipment and ground crews continued to focus on structure protection for the Greenwood fire, according to this morning's update. Crews will continue to reinforce the southern line of the fire, along with the Hwy. 2 corridor and the McDougal Lakes and Slate Lake areas.
The Greenwood fire was detected Aug. 15 about 15 miles southwest of Isabella, Minn. Caused by lightning, the fire has led to more than 100 earlier evacuations in the McDougal and Sand Lake areas, the county Hwy. 2 corridor and north of Hwy. 1 near East and West Chub lakes, Jackpot and Slate lakes.
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