Over 100 people attend Gunflint Trail public meeting about Little Knife Fire
Over 100 Gunflint Trail residents, lodge & outfitter owners, business owners, county officials, and community members attended the Friday afternoon Forest Service public meeting at the Schaap Community Center near mid-trail of the Gunflint Trail to learn updates on the Little Knife Fire.
The Forest Service provided information on the status of the fire, weather conditions, weekend forecast, fire behavior scenarios, firefighting resources, and more.
Forest Service public meeting on Friday, July 17 | Photo by Kalli Hawkins
The Little Knife Fire originated from two Canadian wildfires that merged near Ottertrack and Knife Lake near the U.S./Canada border. Earlier this week, the fire crossed the border into the U.S.
Forest Service officials said during the public meeting that aircraft were able to conduct an infrared flight on Thursday afternoon. However, dense smoke and cloud cover prohibited aircraft from gathering a comprehensive estimate of the burned acreage.
The latest estimated size of the fire on the U.S. side is 6,000 acres. The Little Knife Fire has burned as far south as Ogishkemuncie Lake in Lake County, approximately four miles from the western edge of Seagull Lake.
A photo of the estimated infrared perimeter as of July 17 is below:
The Little Knife Fire perimeter is also visible on the Watch Duty website found here: https://app.watchduty.org/
Below is a link to the livestreamed video by Chuck Olsen of the Little Knife Fire public meeting:
Audio from the public meeting meeting is below:
As of Friday, there are 13 active wildfires throughout the Superior National Forest, with 3 inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Quetico Provincial Park and Ontario also have numerous fires.
More information found here: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/mnsuf-july-2026-superior-nf-wildfires/superior-national-forest-july-lightning-wildfires-facts-sheet-07-16-2026
Know Your Zone: https://cookcountymn.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2f0cb0740663455e9fe5c47b7fdb2379
Kalli Hawkins July 17, 2026
