Unsettled Wednesday, then cooler before heating up next week

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

There were growing concerns Monday about wildfires burning in and near northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness — with extremely hot, dry weather forecast to continue through the upcoming week.

, with five wildfires burning within the BWCA and at least 15 others elsewhere in the Superior National Forest. There were also fires burning just across the Canadian border, in Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park.

“Firefighters have been making good progress on the fires; however, increased temperatures, winds, lower humidity, and lack of recent precipitation is increasing fire behavior on some fires,” Superior National Forest officials 

The largest fire — known as the Thumb Fire — had burned about 500 acres at last report, in a remote part of the BWCAW northwest of Ely.

Another fire of particular concern — the Sioux Fire — had burned about 60 acres near the Echo Trail northwest of Ely.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Sunday mobilized the National Guard to support firefighting efforts in northern Minnesota. 

Some parts of northern St. Louis County, northwest of Ely and south of Crane Lake, have been 

 if fires spread. The county uses what it calls a “Ready, Set, Go” protocol for evacuations — and those areas were under “Ready” or “Set” status.

, at the end of the Gunflint Trail, amid concerns about a fire in Canada that has the potential to cross over the border.

The flurry of wildfires across the Superior National Forest followed storms on July 6 that produced little rain — but did produce lightning that sparked the fires.

A ban on campfires within the BWCA also remained in effect Monday.

Hot, dry weather is forecast to continue through the week. A red flag warning for heightened wildfire danger was in effect Monday for northeast Minnesota.

Minnesota News

Weather and Climate News

Lifestyle

Outdoors

Homepage

Disasters

Minnesota Wildfires

Andrew Krueger

Author

There were growing concerns Monday about wildfires burning in and near northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness — with extremely hot, dry weather forecast to continue through the upcoming week.


U.S. Forest Service

Watchduty.org

a forest fire is seen from an airplane with part of the plane wing visible in the photo

Hot, dry weather fueling wildfires in northern Minnesota's Boundary Waters

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox