Evergreen Forest 2024
Evergreen Forest is the 5th-largest wildfire this season in Wisconsin, burning 7 miles northwest of Grantsburg.
Latest update
The Evergreen Forest Fire was detected late in the afternoon on Thursday, October 17, in the vicinity of the Chengwatana State Forest, east of Pine City, Minnesota. The fire was initially estimated at 140 acres burning in a remote area of the State Forest's lowland swamp and heavy timber. Upon improved mapping, the size of the fire is 167 acres.
The Minnesota DNR is leading the response, and initially received mutual aid support from the Pine City Fire Department during the initial attack response. The DNR decided to request a Type 3 Incident Management Team (MNICS Team C) to manage the fire and coordinate resources. While the team was in place, multiple cooperating agencies provided support including 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. During the initial 48 hours of response, multiple aircraft capable of dropping water and fire retardant were utilized to help cool and slow down the active fire along the edges, helping support the firefighters, engines and other heavy equipment working to control the fire on the ground.
After the extreme red flag warning fire weather event on October 17, conditions have progressively improved each day. The area is experiencing moderate to severe drought conditions, and wildfires that develop in these conditions are requiring more effort to control and extinguish.