Boundary Waters fires could burn for months

By the numbers: There are 17 fires burning in and around the Boundary Waters, covering some 55,000 acres, Minnesota DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen said at a Minnesota Emergency Executive Council meeting Wednesday.

• The fires, Strommen said, were caused by a July 6 lightning storm and have spread because of a combination of extreme heat, dry land and lack of rain. There's no major cooldown or heavy rain in sight.
• The executive council voted to extend Gov. Tim Walz's peacetime emergency. The state is preparing the National Guard to help with the blazes into September, according to the Star Tribune.
• The DNR lets fires in remote areas burn while focusing on protecting areas with life and property, Strommen said.

What they're saying: "In all likelihood, the only thing that's going to put (the biggest fires) out fully is snow," Drew Stroberg, acting supervisor for the Superior National Forest, said at a Monday news conference.

What's next: Most of the smoke from the Boundary Waters area will blow into Wisconsin, Michigan and farther east, meteorologist Paul Douglas tells Axios.

• Smoky air typically arrives in the Twin Cities from northwest Canada, and Douglas says the rest of this summer's air quality will depend on what happens there.
• Northwest Canada has also been under intense heat, making it ripe for more fires.
• The warming climate dries out the land earlier in the year, Douglas says.