National Weather Service, U.S. Forest Service give updates on wildfire, conditions

Thunderstorms moved through Cook County on Monday morning, bringing between a quarter-inch and a half-inch of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

National Weather Service meteorologist Holly Heikkinen joined WTIP on Monday morning to discuss how the changing weather could affect the ongoing wildfires across northeastern Minnesota.

While the rain provided some relief, Heikkinen cautioned that thunderstorms also bring lightning, which can ignite new wildfires.

“That’s one of the things that we’re concerned about when these thunderstorms come through is the lightning,” Heikkinen told WTIP. “As of right now, we’ve not been made aware that lightning caused any addition any additional wildfires.”

Temperatures near the fires are expected to climb into the mid-80s later this week, prompting another heat advisory for portions of Cook County. Combined with wind, the warmer weather could continue to create favorable conditions for wildfire activity despite the recent rainfall.

Air quality, which improved over the weekend, may also deteriorate again as winds shift.

“Winds are going to shift to the northwest and north for tomorrow and Wednesday, and that’s kind of what’s going to drive that smoke back down into the area,” Heikkien said.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources activated Class IV burning restrictions beginning at 12:01 p.m. Monday for Cook, Koochiching, Lake and northern St. Louis counties because of ongoing wildfire conditions.

Under the restrictions:

• Campfires or recreational fires are not allowed.
• No burning permits will be issued except for special exceptions issued by the state or federal agency having suppression responsibilities.
• Prescribed burning on private lands is prohibited.
• Fireworks may not be used outside of municipalities. Use of fireworks within a municipality remains under the municipality’s control.
• Welding, acetylene torches, or other devices with open flame are prohibited in proximity to combustible vegetation, except under special permits.
• Only gas or propane camp stoves may be used in the backcountry or at campsites.
• Charcoal fires are allowed, in a grill designed for that purpose, at occupied homes, cabins and resorts

Public Information Officers Steve Long and Sadie Brown also joined WTIP on Monday morning to provide an update on the Little Knife Fire, which crossed the U.S.-Canada border last week.

Officials reduced the estimated size of the fire after more accurate aerial mapping. The fire was reported at about 6,000 acres on Friday but is now estimated at 4,958 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

“There’s a mosaic-style burn in there,” Long told WTIP. “So there’s black, then there’s green, then there’s black, then there’s green.”

Monday’s rainfall also improved short-term fire conditions. Although dry weather and wind could allow the fire to spread again later this week, Long said the fire had “moderated,” giving firefighters “time and space.” Brown cautioned, however, that the fire still has the potential to grow.

“Finer fuels are getting wet with the rain, but there’s, you know, the larger fuels that are really just still really dry and would take a lot of rain to make a huge impact on those 100-hour fuels or greater,” Brown said.

The National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) took command of the fire at 6 a.m. Sunday morning. While there are resources from across Minnesota and Wisconsin, the Forest Service stated that there was no on-the-ground suppression for the Little Knife Fire. Brown said the Forest Service and NIMO were working to get aerial resources ready.

“They’re assessing what’s needed and what’s available,” Brown said. “There’s so much going on in the area and actually nationwide that those resources-they’re just assessing when they’re needed and where they need to be to be ready when they would like to choose to use them.”

A public meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday at the Schaap Community Center. A second meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lutsen Town Hall. WTIP will livestream both meetings.

The Cook County Board of Commissioners called a 1 p.m. special meeting. The agenda includes a motion to declare a local emergency and multiple contracts for management and communications related to the ongoing wildfires.

WTIP’s CJ Heithoff spoke with Public Information Officers from the U.S. Forest Service and Holly Heikkinen of the National Weather Service. Audio of those conversations can be found below.

Josh Hinke July 20, 2026