The combination of dry weather and winds led to a prescribed burn in the Superior National Forest getting out of control on Wednesday, May 15. The wildfire was first reported around 1:00 p.m. Wednesday in the Tofte Ranger District, and by noon on Thursday, it had grown to 209 acres, plus the 56 acres that had been part of the prescribed burn. Aircraft arrived on the scene to suppress the fire, as well as additional fire crews and engines.
Increasing cloud cover and humidity levels Wednesday night helped restrain the fire, dubbed Fry Fire because of its location in the 72-acre Fry Unit, north of Highway 1 near the Little Isabella River Campground and east of Fish Fry Lake. Thursday morning, the area received 0.1 inches of rain.
The Fry Fire began just a few miles from the location of the 2021 Greenwood Fire, which burned over 26,000 acres and destroyed more than a dozen homes and cabins. Thankfully, the Fry Fire was not destined to be a repeat of Greenwood. By the afternoon of Friday, May 17, the 265 acre fire was 75% contained, and officials stated there was no immediate threat to private property. Four engines with crews, two off-Superior National Forest hotshot crews, and several individual firefighters worked on the fire.
On Sunday, May 19, the Fry Fire was reported to be 100% contained at 189 acres – 49 acres of prescribed fire, and 137 acres of wildfire. According to a WDIO report, “Crews have completed their work and feel confident that the edge of the fire will not move. With firefighting work completed, the fire is now in patrol status. The fire size has been reduced due to more accurate mapping being completed by crews on the fire. There is no immediate threat to private property or structures, and the fire is not active.”
Thank you to all whose diligence and efforts quickly contained the Fry Fire.
The U.S. Forest Service partners with the National Fire Protection Association and its Firewise Communities program to help create awareness of wildfires and ways that each of us can use best practices to help prevent loss of life and property in the event of a wildfire. Check them out at https://www.fs.usda.gov/features/make-your-home-wildfire-defensible and https://www.nfpa.org/Education-and-Research/Wildfire/Firewise-USA.
