Greenwood Fire Now 49% Contained

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Forest officials in northern Minnesota say the Greenwood fire is nearly halfway contained.

Tuesday's update from the U.S. Forest Service puts containment at 49%, with total acreage at 26,112.

The Greenwood fire has been burning near Isabella in Lake County since Aug. 15. Its footprint has hovered around 26,000 acres for several days.

On Monday, Gov. Tim Walz and senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar surveyed the damage from the fire. Walz said that while "this isn't over yet ... we're in a much better spot than we were just 10 days ago."

Klobuchar and Smith stressed during the survey that they would both be heading back to Washington to seek funding to be better prepared for future fires.

The Greenwood fire was started by lightning, according to forest officials. Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate the area near the fire, and dozens of cabins, homes and outbuildings were destroyed.

Firefighters hope to contain the fire by the end of the week.