Prescribed burn near Isabella expands beyond boundaries to become wildfire

Updated 11:21 a.m. 

A prescribed burn near Isabella, Minn., escalated into a wildfire on Wednesday, May 15, when it exceeded its intended 72-acre area.

Superior National Forest officials began the scheduled prescribed burn on Wednesday morning within the Fry unit, east of Little Isabella Campground along Hwy 1. 

At approximately 1 p.m., after the fire crossed the intended boundary, Forest Service crews declared it a wildfire. Forest Service crews began suppression efforts and were able to slow the immediate fire. Additional crews and engines were brought in to assist.

Cloud cover and humidity levels increased in the area, helping to ease fire activity, Forest Service officials wrote in a May 16 press release. Ground crews worked late into the evening hours to suppress the fire before returning Thursday morning to continue securing the fire’s edge. Officials said that recent precipitation Wednesday night and early Thursday morning has also helped alleviate the spread of the fire.

The total acreage of the Fry Fire including the 72-acre prescribed burn is 209 acres. The fire is zero percent contained as of 11:21 a.m. on Thursday, May 16. 

The prescribed burn is one of many scheduled burns across the Superior National Forest this week to reduce hazardous fuels and prepare the unit for natural regeneration. 

Earlier this week, fire crews successfully completed burning 159 acres of the Slim Lake South prescribed fire located north of Ely. Crews also finished burning 390 acres within the Banjo unit near the Lima Grade west of the Gunflint Trail. 

Kalli Hawkins May 16, 2024