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Sr - Buffalo Fire (Wyoming)

Ended · 100% containedCrews stopped it spreading on 100% of the perimeter. Not the same as out, and not 100% burned. · 1,200 acres (486 hectares) · Started · Updated

This fire in numbers28 days
486Hectares1,200Acres28Days it lasted
Containment100%

Started on Jul 26, 2026.

United States todayLive
82Active476Hotspots 48h1.3 MHectares
Last 7 days · steadyHow many named wildfires were burning on each of the last 7 days. It rises when there are more than on the earlier days.
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Sr - Buffalo Fire (Wyoming) — Sentinel-2 true color Sr - Buffalo Fire (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

Red dots: heat detected by satellite in the last 48h. NASA FIRMS

Active fires nearby1 · 100 km
Within 100 kmSee on map →

Quick facts

Location
32 miles east of Sheridan, WY
Complexity
Type 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning
Tall Grass (2.5 feet)
How it's behaving
MinimalRunning — Runs along the ground much faster than a person walks.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.
Jurisdiction
Private land
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.

Averaging a steady 80 acres per day over a 15-day span, the Sr - Buffalo Fire has reached containment in Sheridan, Wyoming, located 32 miles east of Sheridan. Burning across private land, the 1,200-acre blaze consumed tall grass standing 2.5 feet high under minimal, running, and spotting fire behaviors before firefighters successfully brought the incident to 100 percent containment.

Operations for this Type 4 incident were overseen by a Type 4 IC management structure. Despite this event, broader conditions remain mitigated, as 2,799,726 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a figure 49 percent below the two-decade average for a region where the typical fire season spans from June to October.

In context

This wildfire burned in Wyoming for 27 days. In total it burned about 1,200 acres — around 4.9 km².

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

The bigger picture in United States

Across United States, roughly 3,266,178 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 40% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

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