Kohns Fire, Gillette, Wyoming — Map & Containment

Kohns Fire, Gillette, Wyoming — Sentinel-2 true color

Kohns Fire, Gillette, Wyoming — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego)

True view Fire view

⟷

True view (left): as the eye sees it.
Fire view (right): infrared (SWIR), sees through smoke and brings out the heat.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 brown = already burned
🟠 orange = fire right now

Drag to compare: normal photo on the left, heat brought out on the right.

Green: vegetationBrown: already burnedOrange: fire right nowSentinel-2 · Copernicus

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location20 miles northeast of Gillette, WY

CauseNatural

What's burningTall Grass (2.5 feet)

How it's behavingMinimal, Short-range SpottingWind Driven Runs — The wind pushes it in long runs in one direction.Isolated Torching — Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.

ComplexityType 3 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionPrivate land

Cost so far$50,000

Glossary: what each term means

Minimal

Barely moving. Low, thin smoke.

Smoldering

Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.

Creeping

Moves slowly, hugging the ground.

Moderate

Spreads with low, steady flames.

Active

Spreading evenly and steadily, with visible flame.

Extreme

Fast and unpredictable.

Running

Runs along the ground much faster than a person walks.

Flanking

Grows along the sides, not head-on.

Backing

Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.

Crowning

Climbs into the treetops and jumps crown to crown. It can't be attacked from the ground.

Short Crown Runs

Climbs into the crowns in bursts and drops back down.

Torching

Whole trees flaring up like torches.

Isolated Torching

Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.

Group Torching

Whole clumps of trees flaring at once.

Spotting

Wind carries embers through the air and starts new fires ahead of the front: that is how a fire jumps a road or a firebreak.

Wind Driven Runs

The wind pushes it in long runs in one direction.

The ones marked ● are the behaviors that make a fire harder to stop. They are not a warning or an instruction: they are the description written by the agency in charge. For decisions, always follow your emergency services.

The story so far

Summary written on Aug 10, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across 2,700 acres of private land near Gillette, Wyoming, the Kohns Fire has reached 100% containment after 14 days of burning in Campbell County, roughly 20 miles northeast of the city. The incident, managed by a Type 4 IC under a Type 3 Incident designation, grew at an approximate rate of 193 acres per day since its natural ignition on July 27, 2026.

Fire behavior on the landscape of 2.5-foot tall grass was characterized by minimal activity, wind-driven runs, isolated torching, and short-range spotting before crews achieved full containment. A single personnel resource was assigned to the incident, with total suppression costs reaching $50,000.

This activity occurs against a broader backdrop across the country, where 2,761,076 hectares have burned so far in 2026, tracking 50% below the two-decade average. In this region, the typical fire season runs from June to October.