Overview
- The U.S. Forest Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources lifted all remaining campfire and burning restrictions on Monday, allowing campfires in open sections of Superior National Forest including much of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
- The multi‑fire July lightning complex has burned about 76,032 acres in the U.S. and Canada and has roughly 598 personnel assigned to suppression, with several fires partially contained and the Thumb Fire now the merged name for the former Thumb and Wolfpack blazes.
- More than 1,600 of roughly 2,000 BWCAW campsites are open for permit holders and two additional Echo Trail entry points (Entry Point 9 and Entry Point 77) are scheduled to reopen on Aug. 25.
- Fire managers cautioned that parts of the wilderness remain closed, temporary flight restrictions and a permanent BWCAW flight restriction are in place, and crews are assessing a new Muskeg Creek ignition in the Caribou Point area.
- Forecasts calling for Tuesday showers and thunderstorms could bring wetting rain that helps suppression but also create uncertain fire behavior, and officials warned visitors to follow campfire permits and safety rules as drought conditions persist.