A forest fire east of Pine City, Minn. burning since last Thursday has caused a closure of state forest land near the confluence of the Snake and St. Croix Rivers, and brought in firefighters from as far away as New Mexico. The Evergreen Forest Fire was discovered Oct. 17 and has burned more than 160 acres so far, with no cause yet known. As of Thursday, Oct. 24, the fire is 70 percent contained.
There are about 50 personnel working on mopping up the fire, which has been in remote and densely forested areas. The initial effort to suppress the blaze included airplanes and helicopters dropping water on it. At various times, multiple bulldozers, fire engines, and several off-road vehicles were used in the effort.
“Access to the fire is extremely challenging, thus firefighters are using tracked vehicles,” the Minnesota Incident Command System team reported on Friday, Oct. 19. “Fire reburn and spotting is a concern due to continue leaf drop inside and outside of the fire perimeter. The area is experiencing long-term drying and drought conditions due to a significant lack of precipitation.”
The next day, Saturday, the fire received just a trace of rainfall, but it was enough to help get things under control.
“Fire behavior was observed as smoldering and creeping and fire crews were able to take advantage of the conditions to secure a line around most of the fire perimeter.”
On Sunday, the “Zuni” crew of 15 hotshot firefighters from New Mexico arrived at the incident. The hotshots are a fully-certified crew based on the Zuni Indian Reservation, home to the Zuni Pueblo people.
The fire remained mostly manageable in the following days, but firefighters continued to have concerns that falling leaves catching fire and blowing across containment lines could let the fire escape. Yesterday, the Incident Command Team reported mop-up work continued, but that a small area inside the fire zone had started burning again from suspected leaf drop. The blaze was suppressed by firefighters.
The closure order for the Chengwatana State Forest remains in effect as of Thursday, Oct. 24. All areas between the state forest road on the north and the Snake River on the south, and the St. Croix River to the east and the state forest boundary to the west are closed to the public. Authorities also warn the public not to fly drones near the fire, as it forces all other aircraft operations to halt.
Comment