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Bear Trap Fire (Minnesota)

Contained · 100% contained · 30,804 acres · started 2026-07-07 · updated 2026-09-08

This fire in numbersDay 69

12,466Hectares30,804Acres69Days burning

Containment100%

Started on Jul 7, 2026.

United States todayLive

102Active673Hotspots 48h1.4 MHectares

Last 7 days · steady

All United States wildfires

Bear Trap Fire (Minnesota) — Sentinel-2 true color

Bear Trap Fire (Minnesota) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego)

True color Fire (SWIR)

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True color (left): as the eye sees it.
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire

Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.

Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).

Active fires nearby3 · 100 km

9.1KM NEWildfire near Lac la Croix3,448 ha 47KM EWildfire near Rainy River25,476 ha 55KM NEWildfire near Atikokan (Jun 30 · SW)42,273 ha

Within 100 kmSee on map →

Quick facts

Location: 20 Miles N from Ely, MN
Cause: Natural
Personnel: 18
Complexity: Type 4 Incident
Fuel: Closed Timber Litter
Behavior: Minimal, Smoldering, Creeping
Jurisdiction: USFS · Federal land

Burning for 63 days across St. Louis County, the Bear Trap Fire near Ely, Minnesota, has finished its run at 30,804 acres with full containment achieved. Maintaining an average daily growth of approximately 489 acres per day, the natural-cause fire consumed closed timber litter on federal land managed by the USFS. Fire behavior is currently minimal, characterized by smoldering and creeping.

A Type 4 Incident managed by a Type 4 IC, the response involved 18 personnel and accumulated a total cost of $56,767,493. This incident unfolded during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. On a broader scale, nationwide wildfire activity stands at 3,188,211 hectares burned so far in 2026, tracking 42% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Minnesota for 68 days. So far it has affected roughly 30,804 acres — about 125 km². The perimeter is 100% contained.

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.