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JULY LIGHTNING INCIDENT / LITTLE KNIFE FIRE - DAILY Update 7-22-26
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OVERALL ACREAGE
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7/21: 63,587 acres (US) + 8,412 acres (Canada)
7/22: 63,594 acres (US) + 8,412 acres (Canada)
CHANGE: US +7 ac (essentially flat) | Canada unchanged

Little Knife: 4,598 -> 4,598 acres (unchanged)

PERSONNEL
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7/21: 780
7/22: 962 CHANGE: +182
Largest single-day staffing increase reported to date.

CONTAINMENT - reported for major fires for the FIRST TIME
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Fire Acreage (unchanged) 7/22 Containment
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Camp 4,402 ac 23%
Sioux 12,354 ac 17%
Bear Trap 37,747 total (29,682 US) 34%
Thumb 17,088 total (16,747 US) 58%

NOTE: Report explicitly states containment is a "dynamic
figure" that can rise and fall with fire activity.

CHUB / ECHO LAKE AREA FIRES (11 total)
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7/21: 57% combined containment
7/22: 85% combined containment CHANGE: +28 pts

Chub: 347.8 -> 344.6 ac (-3.2 ac, infrared remap)
Containment: 82.8%
493: 0.7 -> 1.9 ac (+1.2 ac)
Remaining 9 small fires (Echo 2, Beaver Tail, Ridge, Creek,
Marion Creek Trail, Nine, Camp 5/Duck, Bug Creek, Coffin):
62.5 ac combined, ALL 100% contained
(now reported as single combined line item)

LITTLE KNIFE FIRE
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Acreage unchanged at 4,598 ac
- Additional crews arriving today for "strategic
suppression actions"
- Crews present for structural protection needs
- Tone shift from 7/21 "minimal activity" to more active
posture today
- Still managed by NIMO

*** BWCAW CLOSURE ***
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- BWCAW CLOSURE ORDER: runs until rescinded or updated or Oct 1st.
- BWCAW PERMITS (Recreation.gov): CANCELLED ONLY THROUGH
JULY 24, 2026 - NOT through October 1.
- Permits are being evaluated DAILY by the Forest Service
- Stated goal: reopen select BWCAW areas as fire activity,
weather, and resources allow
- Permit notification window unchanged: 7 days prior to
entry date. This 7 days prior is a little unclear in regards to the 7/24 date. We have not heard of permits being cancelled into the weekend or next week, but that could be happening. Post if you know of permits being cancelled after 7/24.

EVACUATIONS / CLOSURES (county-level) - UNCHANGED
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- Lake County: "GO" - Fernberg Corridor
- St. Louis County: "GO" (Echo Trail areas), "SET"
(Marion Creek, Ridge, Beaver Tail, Coffin, Echo 2)
- Cook County: "SET" (end of Gunflint Trail)
- Temporary Flight Restrictions: in effect
- MN DNR + USFS fire restrictions: in effect

WEATHER / FIRE BEHAVIOR
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7/21: Cooler - highs mid-upper 60s, gusts 19-26 mph,
20% chance light rain
7/22: WARMING BACK UP - highs in 70s, humidity 32-39%,
gusts lighter at 12-18 mph
OUTLOOK: Fire behavior expected to become MORE ACTIVE
through end of week as temps climb, winds stay
steady

Smoke Outlook
Full Report

We aren't including maps as they are very similar to yesterday.

Overall, sounds like pretty good news.

NEIowapaddler: "Overall, sounds like pretty good news. "

The Outlook with increasing heat this weekend is a concern. Some potential for rain on Saturday and Sunday night, and hopefully that brings more rain then lightning. My general take is they are looking pretty hard at opening some of the less effected areas, but with resources being very much focused on the fires that is a tough call to make. They would have to put a limited travel area restriction in place.

If they do open it back up, please make sure if you enter to leave behind your day by day plans with family/friends back home.

I suppose others of you with places out the Fernberg got notice about being able to visit your property tomorrow for a limited window under Sheriff escort. That is something.

I was looking at the air quality monitors on purpleair.com and there was a huge spike on all the monitors around the BWCA around 4 AM this morning. Does anyone have an explanation for what that might have been? It was on all the monitors I looked at so it can't be explained by data error.

I sure hope they can open up sections of the BW.

GaryInTexas: "I was looking at the air quality monitors on purpleair.com and there was a huge spike on all the monitors around the BWCA around 4 AM this morning. Does anyone have an explanation for what that might have been? It was on all the monitors I looked at so it can't be explained by data error."

Wind switch? Most reporting sites showed a switch from a Southerly direction to more W and NW direction, though very light in nature.

I caught part of the briefing on my lunch break today and the FS chief said they were developing a plan to open some areas. But he didn't go into details.

I am seeing references to the Star Tribune and CBS reporting it is closed until Oct 1 but my reservation for September has not been cancelled. Has the order always been Oct 1 or until cancelled or until updated?

CoachBigD: "I am seeing references to the Star Tribune and CBS reporting it is closed until Oct 1 but my reservation for September has not been cancelled. Has the order always been Oct 1 or until cancelled or until updated?"

The order the FS issued is essentially open ended so they don't have to keep modifying it. They can change the order and open all or part of it which is is what I understand they are considering.

GaryInTexas: "I was looking at the air quality monitors on purpleair.com and there was a huge spike on all the monitors around the BWCA around 4 AM this morning. Does anyone have an explanation for what that might have been? It was on all the monitors I looked at so it can't be explained by data error."

I went back on purpleair.com to look again at the spikes in the data around 4AM on 22 July and they are all gone from the charts! Most likely, a system-wide, sequential reboot or communications error corrupted a minute or two of data for each monitor and somebody cleaned it up this afternoon with a median filter or similar technique.

Now don your tin hats - if it was something real, it moved VERY fast, from somewhere Dryden-ish to the North Shore in approximately 10 minutes, and THEY don't want us to know about it. :)

- Gary