Overview
- Lightning from a storm on July 6 sparked multiple small fires that were first reported on July 7 and have since grown to about 16–17 active incidents across the Superior National Forest.
- An emergency forest order will close public access around the Bear Trap, Thumb and Wolfpack fire areas in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness starting July 11 and restrict entry to roughly 234,300 acres.
- Officials have banned campfires and outlawed drone flights in the closure area because drones endanger aerial firefighting and campfires increase ignition risk during dry conditions.
- Crews are using minimum‑impact tactics inside the wilderness—hand tools, natural features and water bags—while aircraft, dozers and ground crews work outside the BWCAW as additional resources are requested but limited nationwide.
- Several small fires are now contained or controlled, but new detections continue; managers say they will provide daily updates and people should avoid closed entry points and follow posted alerts.