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Park rangers closing Isle Royale in late October took one last look at the Horne Fire before heading back to Houghton for the winter. At that time, the fire was continuing to slowly smolder in a few places, mostly in the thick duff layer. Light smoke plumes could be seen on both sides of the Greenstone Ridge. The fire was left to slowly burn itself out this fall and winter as rain and snow eventually blanket the island. The final map, reflecting more accurate measurements of the burned area, showed the fire at 335 acres.
The Horne Fire started on August 10 from a suspected lightning strike on the Duncan Bay side of the Duncan – Tobin portage trail. It burned slowly until a wind event on August 21 pushed the fire and embers across the northeast end of the island, threatening historic structures in Tobin Harbor and closing multiple trails and campgrounds. Firefighters from Isle Royale, Buffalo River and Grand Tetons National Parks, Grand Portage and Fond du Lac Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa, Hiawatha National Forest, and the State of Virginia traveled to the park to work on the fire control efforts.
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