Today, the July Lightning Incident Command Post (ICP) will move from Memorial High School in Ely to Fortune Bay Resort Casino in Tower, so the district can prepare to welcome students back to school. The Southern Area CIMT 1 wants to thank school district staff for their kindness and hospitality. Best of luck in the upcoming school year!

Combined acreage overall of the July Lightning Incident is 63,696 acres in the United States and an additional 8,443 acres in Canada. Estimated acreage of the Little Knife Fire is 4,958 acres. There are a total of 1,029 personnel on the July Lightning Incident. Containment estimates continue to increase based on current fire behavior, fuels, weather and natural barriers like lakes and waterways. Containment is a dynamic figure and can rise and fall based on fire activity. The public is being asked to support firefighters and public safety by adhering to all evacuations, closures, and fire restrictions; by refraining from flying drones, which endanger firefighting aircraft; and by keeping boats off the water in areas where water-gathering aircraft are operating. Fires reported on this update may change as some fires have merged or been moved into patrol status.

An interactive map is available for residents and property owners to determine evacuation levels for their property. Residents and property owners can search this map by address to determine exact locations and evacuation levels. Click on the county name below for county-specific information.

St. Louis County: “Ready” and “Set” zones west of the Echo Trail and the Crane Lake area have been completely lifted. Please visit the St. Louis County Emergency Management website for more information. St Louis County is not offering escorted re-entry of any of the “Go” evacuation areas at this time due to fire behavior and proximity to the fire area.

Superior National Forest:    The Forest announced this morning select BWCAW entry points will open to the public for ‘Day Use’ on July 27, on the Gunflint and Tofte Districts (Eastern side of the forest), and BWCAW ‘Overnight’ permits will be cancelled July 25 – July 29, 2026. Forest Officials anticipate the ability to open select portions this next week to overnight use – barring no significant wildfire activity over the upcoming weekend. In an effort to re-open select areas of the BWCAW (as fire activity, weather and resources allows) the Forest Service continues to evaluate the affected BWCAW quota permit entry point areas for use on a daily basis.  A Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) Closure Order is in place to protect public and firefighter health and safety.

Superior National Forest Forest-wide Fire Restrictions are in effect.

Minnesota DNR fire restrictions are in effect.

Stronger southwesterly winds will continue to bring warmer temperatures over the fire area into the weekend. Highs are forecast to reach the mid 80s while relative humidities will fall into the mid 30s to lower 40s. The combination of winds and hot, dry air will create elevated fire weather conditions, particularly on Friday. A 30% chance of rain showers exists today, but better chances for rain arrive late Friday.

The small chance of afternoon showers is not predicted to impact fire behavior today. While today may not see significant fire spread, expect momentum to continue building as surface fire and isolated torching begin to increase in areas that have been relatively quiet.

The Chub Fire is the most active fire in this area. There is a combined containment of 87% on these eleven fires. Crews are identified to assist with initial attack for any new fires that are detected.

On the evening of July 6, a dry thunderstorm moved across northeastern Minnesota and southern Canada resulting in more than 1,000 lightning strikes, causing dozens of fire starts. As unprecedented dry and warm conditions followed in the days after, fires were detected across Cook, Lake and St. Louis counties. Where fires were accessible by ground, firefighters were able to work to keep some of the fire perimeters small in size, however due to the number of fires, locations and number of firefighters and equipment, some of the fires continued to smolder and grow in the following days. Local fire managers ordered many additional resources including engines, hand crews, aviation resources and two incident management teams to support the firefighting efforts. While some of the fires were contained, several have continued to grow due to record breaking high temperatures and low humidity. Additional firefighters, equipment and support staff continue to be ordered including a Complex Incident Management Team.