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Wildfire near Little Isabella River Campground
ISABELLA — An intentional fire set by Superior National Forest crews to reduce fuels for future forest fires had burned 209 acres outside its intended area in Lake County and is being battled as a wildfire.
Forest Service officials said the fire “spotted” outside the 72-acre intended burn area on the Fry fire in the Tofte District of the Superior National Forest.
Both air and ground crews were being used to battle the blaze, which was declared a wildfire at 1 p.m. Wednesday, not long after the initial intentional fire was started.
The fire is just north of Minnesota Highway 1, near the Little Isabella River campground, and just south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Winds in that a rea Wednesday afternoon were blowing from the south at 10 mph, gusting to 17 mph, likely pushing the fire north.
As of Thursday afternoon, the fire was listed as being zero percent contained.
The Fry fire was one of several planned and already conducted this spring across the national forest to reduce areas that have a heavy buildup of dead and drying trees that would be ripe for a future wildfire, such as areas hit by wind storms or infested with the spruce budworm insect.
“The Fry fire is an evolving situation that we will continue to provide updates via press release and social media. We continue to protect values at risk, safely and effectively,” forest officials noted in announcing the fire.
The Forest Service also burned areas in the past week near North Hegman and Slim Lake off the North Arm Road.
