How to watch: Officials lay out current wildfire situation in northern Minnesota
Officials coordinating the response to active wildfires in northern Minnesota plan to give an update on the situation Friday afternoon.
Representatives with the U.S. Forest Service, state Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Incident Command System will speak at 1 p.m. Democratic Sen. Tina Smith will also be in attendance.
How to watch
- What: Officials give update on northern Minnesota wildfires
- Date: Friday, July 17, 2026
- Time: 1 p.m.
- Location: Ely, Minnesota
- Online stream: Live on CBS News Minnesota in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device, or on YouTube
As of Thursday, there were 15 active wildfires in Superior National Forest, with three inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, according to MNICS. Public access to the Boundary Waters will remain closed until the fires are contained, officials said.
Gov. Tim Walz earlier this week extended a peacetime emergency through mid-September. The order directs additional resources to fight the fires, including the Minnesota National Guard.
Officials believe lightning storms earlier this month sparked the fires, and say some of them could continue to burn until snow arrives later this year. The extreme heat and lack of rain the state has been facing have made suppression difficult.
Smoke from the wildfires, as well as those in Canada, has poisoned the air quality across Minnesota. While it has since improved, for hours on Thursday, Minneapolis had the worst air quality among all of the world's major cities, according to IQAir. The air in the Arrowhead, near the fires, remains hazardous on Friday, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
