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.
More than 60 personnel were working on the fire at its height. Crews are now “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. Wednesday, the Incident Command Team reported that a small area inside the fire zone had started burning again from suspected leaf drop. The blaze was suppressed by firefighters.
On Friday, Oct. 25, management of the fire switched back to the DNR from the special statewide incident management team.
“Firefighting resources have mopped up 150 feet from the fire’s perimeter and will continue to hold, secure, and reinforce containment lines,” the team reported. “The fire is smoldering in timber, logging slash, brush and leaf litter. Firefighters are monitoring leaf drop for potential spotting across containment lines. Firefighter and public safety remain the main priorities for the incident.
The closure order for the Chengwatana State Forest remains in effect, and authorities say to expect it to continue through the weekend and possibly beyond.
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.
Cooperating agencies on the firefighting effort included the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Pine County Sheriff’s Department, Pine County Emergency Management, Pine City Fire Department, and Chengwatana Township.
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