Little Knife Fire (Minnesota)

Active · 95% contained · 4,815 acres · started 2026-07-15 · updated 2026-08-26

Little Knife 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).

Quick facts

Location: 45 Miles NE from Grand Marais, MN
Personnel: 2
Complexity: Type 4 Incident
Fuel: Timber (Litter and Understory)
Behavior: Minimal, Creeping, Smoldering
Jurisdiction: USFS · Federal land

Burning across federal timber land in Lake County, Minnesota, the active Little Knife Fire has now been on the landscape for 42 days since starting on July 15, 2026. Located 45 miles northeast of Grand Marais, the 4,815-acre blaze has maintained an average daily growth of approximately 115 acres per day.

Fire behavior is currently minimal, characterized by creeping and smoldering through litter and understory fuels. Despite its longevity, suppression efforts managed by a Type 4 Incident Command have brought the fire to 95 percent containment, overseen by just two personnel acting under the United States Forest Service.

Total costs to suppress the incident have reached $2,862,504.61. This fire unfolds during the region's typical fire season which spans from June to October, contributing to a broader national context where 3,068,903 hectares have burned so far in 2026, tracking 44 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Minnesota for 45 days. So far it has affected roughly 4,815 acres — about 19 km². At 95% containment, the fire is nearly under control.

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