The Greenwood Fire was a wildfire in the

Arrowhead Region The Arrowhead Region is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota, so called because of its pointed shape. The predominantly rural region encompasses of land area and includes Carlton, Cook, Lake and Saint Louis counties. ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the United States. First noted near

Greenwood Lake Greenwood Lake is an interstate lake approximately long, straddling the border of New York and New Jersey. It is located in the Town of Warwick and the Village of Greenwood Lake, New York (in Orange County) and West Milford, New Jersey (in ...

in Lake County on August 15, 2021, it is believed to have been sparked by lightning. The fire burned 26,797 acres, largely within the

Superior National Forest Superior National Forest, part of the United States National Forest system, is located in the Arrowhead Region of the state of Minnesota between the Canada–United States border and the north shore of Lake Superior. The area is part of the grea ...

, destroying 14 buildings and damaging 3 more. By early October, the fire was considered largely spent, although parts continued to smolder. 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 The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW or BWCA) is a wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in the northeastern part of the US state of Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the Unit ...

for the first time since the 1970s. The closure began August 20 for a period of one week and was extended another week to end September 3. All area and road closures were lifted by early October. More than 400 firefighters were called to help contain the fire, which was at 49% containment as of September 7. By September 20th, the fire was at 80% containment and considered well-managed; evacuees began to return to their properties. In early October, firefighting duties returned to Forest Service management and the number of firefighters assigned dipped below 100. The fire was believed to have been worsened by the 2020-21 North American drought. On August 18, 2021, the

Department of Natural Resources This article lists subnational environmental agencies in the United States, by state. Agencies with a variety of titles and responsibilities are included, e.g. Department of Environment, Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of E ...

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."{{cite web , title=Portions of Minnesota enter drought restrictive phase , url=https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/news/2021/08/18/portions-minnesota-enter-drought-restrictive-phase , website=Minnesota DNR , access-date=24 August 2021 , date=August 18, 2021 , archive-date=2 September 2021 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902215012/https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/news/2021/08/18/portions-minnesota-enter-drought-restrictive-phase , url-status=dead

References

Wildfires in Minnesota 2021 wildfires in the United States 2021 in Minnesota

See also

References