Sheep Pen Fire (Colorado)

Burning across Las Animas County, Colorado, the Sheep Pen Fire has completed a six-day run that added an average of 119 acres per day, ultimately reaching a total size of 712 acres on private land located 12 miles southeast of Kim. Satellites have mapped the perimeter of this blaze as it traveled through short grass standing one foot tall, driven by natural causes in a region where the typical fire season spans from June to October.

Operations on the incident reached full containment with the deployment of just two personnel working under a Type 3 Incident management structure and a Type 3 IC. Current fire behavior is characterized as minimal with isolated torching, marking a stabilization of the incident after days of active spread.

This Colorado event unfolds against a broader national backdrop where 2,921,034 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, a total tracking 47% below the two-decade average.