The wildfires burning in northeast Minnesota are so hot and intense that experts say they might linger until snow falls.

Why it matters: The fires have shut down the popular Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

• They've also prompted evacuation orders in the Arrowhead and have blanketed the state in unhealthy smoke.
• Two Minnesota YMCA camp groups had to be rescued from remote areas near the U.S.-Canada border, with help from the Royal Canadian Air Force.

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

• 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.

Smoke from the fires blanketed the Twin Cities last night, raising concerns about the outlook for the remainder of the summer.

State of the skies: Air quality index (AQI) readings across the Twin Cities are in the mid-300s this morning — well into the "hazardous" range — according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Stunning stats: It's worse in some areas. One Apple Valley station reported an AQI in the 400s.

• Across northeastern Minnesota, AQI readings are setting new state records: This morning, they're in the eye-popping 900s.

What we're watching: The state's AQI forecast calls for some relief tomorrow, with air quality levels dropping back to the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" range.

What's next: If the fires continue through the summer, 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.

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"This is the kind of thing that could put [Mike] Lindell over the edge … I think we Republicans are, yet again, risking snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory here."

President Trump's endorsement of loyalist Mike Lindell over two rivals in next month's GOP gubernatorial primary has some top Minnesota Republicans scratching their heads.

• State party chair Alex Plechash said the MyPillow CEO has "significant electability concerns."

The other side: Lindell told MPR News the endorsement is "based on merit and how I've done with the campaign so far."

• The president's nod "will raise a lot of funding," he added.

Yes, but: It's unclear how much weight Trump's backing will carry against Minnesota Republican primary voters' long history of lining up behind the candidate who won the party's official endorsement.

• Kendall Qualls won the GOP's endorsement in May over Lindell and House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who has a wide lead in campaign cash.

🏛️ Ramsey County is suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to compel it to participate in an investigation into immigration agents who dragged a half-naked U.S. citizen from his home in January. (Sahan Journal)

• County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher have said they are investigating possible kidnapping and false imprisonment charges.

🧊 Meanwhile, a Minneapolis educator is laying the groundwork for his own lawsuit following his detention by ICE outside Roosevelt High School — though experts say suing the federal government is an arduous process. (MPR News)

🏥 State officials took over a Crystal nursing home following a judge's order prompted by concerns over residents' safety. (KSTP)

🛣️ St. Paul will host the first of three listening sessions this evening as it weighs renaming the West Side's César Chávez Street following sexual harassment allegations against the late Chicano movement leader. (Pioneer Press)

🚕 Minneapolis is among the cities and states weighing possible regulations on robotaxis as a lack of action in Congress has created a free-for-all at the state and local level. (Axios)

The Lyndale Avenue reconstruction project, which would rip up a busy stretch of the street in 2028, could get the Minneapolis City Council's sign-off today.

Why it matters: Lyndale's 92-year-old infrastructure is decades overdue for an upgrade, the project's planners say.

• But some local businesses, still reeling from the rebuild of nearby Hennepin Avenue, worry they won't survive more construction.

State of play: Cycling and pedestrian advocates cheer plans to make Lyndale safer for walkers and bikers, including a new off-street bike path that links to the Loring Greenway at Interstate 94.

• The project will also add dedicated bus lanes between West 24th Street and the freeway.
• The project will maintain roughly three-quarters of the corridor's current parking spaces, according to the Hennepin County officials planning the project.

What they're saying: Some business owners are pleading for a delay, saying sales and foot traffic haven't rebounded on Hennepin Avenue after a year-and-a-half of construction that wrapped up last fall.

• "They are being asked to accept another major reconstruction project before they have had the opportunity to recover," Uptown Association executive director Stefani Pennaz told a council committee last week.

Yes, but: The county has already delayed the project, and now faces a deadline to spend $9 million in federal funding — nearly half the project's budget — project manager Josh Potter warned the council.

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When you're enduring the hottest week of the year so far, nothing tops a twist cone. Kyle picked one up at Roseville's Sprinkles this week.

• It sure beats the heat.

Now if only it could ward off smoke…

Go deeper: Read last summer's reporting on ice cream scoop prices