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Windmill Fire (Kansas)

Ended · 1,500 acres · started 2026-05-15 · updated 2026-07-16

Windmill Fire (Kansas) — Sentinel-2 true color Windmill Fire (Kansas) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego) True color Fire (SWIR)
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
Morton County
Cause
Natural
Jurisdiction
Private land

After burning for 62 days, the Windmill Fire in Morton County, Kansas, continues to show active behavior as it consumes private land. The blaze has maintained a steady progression, averaging approximately 24 acres of growth per day.

Since its natural ignition on May 15, 2026, the fire has expanded to cover 1,500 acres. Fire officials remain focused on the incident as it persists across the local landscape.

In context

This wildfire burned in Kansas for 106 days. In total it burned about 1,500 acres — around 6.1 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 3,126,257 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 43% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

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