Sheep Pen Fire, Colorado — Map & Containment

Sheep Pen Fire (Colorado) — Sentinel-2 true color

Sheep Pen Fire (Colorado) — 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

Location12 miles southeast of Kim, CO

CauseNatural

What's burningShort Grass (1 foot)

How it's behavingMinimalIsolated 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$200,000

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

Burning across Las Animas County in Colorado, the Sheep Pen Fire near Kim ultimately scorched 712 acres of private land over a span of 74 days following its natural start on August 12, 2026. The incident progressed at an approximate average daily growth rate of 10 acres per day.

By the time operations concluded, the Type 3 Incident was fully contained with 100 percent containment, supported by a modest response team of 2 personnel. Fire behavior toward the end was characterized as minimal with isolated torching within short grass fuels standing about one foot tall.

The suppression effort for this natural-cause blaze accrued a total cost of about $200,000. This fire unfolded against a broader national backdrop where 3,450,653 hectares had burned across the country so far in 2026, tracking 37 percent below the two-decade average during a typical fire season that runs from June to October.