Wind causes fire expansion

Cloud cover, lower temperatures, and increased relative humidity helped to moderate fire activity and growth of the Greenwood Fire midweek after a hectic Monday that saw the fire make wind-aided runs to the east. A shift of wind from the north brought heavy smoke as far south south as Carlton County Tuesday morning. Superior National Forest officials estimated Wednesday that the fire has torched 21,720 acres, or just more than 30 square miles. The Monday runs doubled the size of the fire.

Forest officials said late on Wednesday that 12 homes or cabins had been destroyed in the fire as it burned uncontained.

Other dwellings were damaged and 57 outbuilding had been destroyed.

Crews were pulled Monday as the fire made erratic runs. They have returned and formed a "more secure fireline" on the south and east sides of the fire. Engine crews returned to structure protection in the McDougal Lake area and along the Highway 2 corridor. The forest service reported Wednesday that firefighters were expected to make several defensive firing operations with the support of air resources, engines, bulldozers and other equipment to reduce the burnable natural fuels near homes or near the edge of the fire.

The fire command post was scheduled to relocate to Babbitt to stay out of the fire's way. It had been in Isabella, where the community center continues as a base for firefighters. Displaced residents have the option of using the community center in Finland.

Light winds, lower temperatures and higher humidity, and the forecast of at least some rain into the weekend will make fighting the fire easier, the forest service said.

The Greenwood Fire was detected on Aug. 15 near Greenwood Lake and approximately 15 miles southwest of Isabella. The fire is threatening cabins, homes, and recreational sites. It was caused by a lightning strike.

The U.S. Forest Service extended the closure of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for another week on Tuesday and announced closures along a long stretch of the upper Gunflint Trail. While the Greenwood Fire is the largest in the region, other fires have been popping up in the BWCAW with resources to fight them stretched thin by the larger fire and the continued firefighting in the western United States.

The forest service said it's processing refunds for permits to the BWCA that were scheduled through Sept. 3. The agency announced a weeklong closure on Saturday because of the ongoing drought and extreme wildfire risk. It was initially set to last through Friday.

Permit holders with entry dates of Sept. 4 through Sept. 10 are also being notified that their permits could be canceled as conditions change, although they have not yet been canceled.

Several wildfires are burning in and around the Boundary Waters, including four new fires of an acre or less that started this week.