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Wolfpack Fire (Minnesota)

Contained · 100% contained · 6,871 acres · started 2026-07-09 · updated 2026-08-15

Wolfpack Fire (Minnesota) — Sentinel-2 true color Wolfpack Fire (Minnesota) — 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
33 Miles NW from Ely, MN
Personnel
14
Complexity
Type 1 Incident
Fuel
Closed Timber Litter
Behavior
Moderate, Flanking, Backing, Isolated Torching
Jurisdiction
USFS · Federal land

Burning through closed timber litter in St. Louis County, the Wolfpack Fire near Ely, Minnesota, has spent 37 days on the landscape, averaging an approximate daily growth of 186 acres per day. Fire behavior has recently been characterized as moderate, featuring flanking, backing, and isolated torching. Satellites are picking up a moderate heat signature from the incident, with NASA FIRMS registering 12 heat detections in the past 48 hours to highlight the extent of the spread.

Despite its prolonged run, full containment has been achieved at 6,871 acres. Federal land managed by the USFS saw a response consisting of 14 personnel operating under a Complex Incident Management Team for this Type 1 Incident. Suppression costs for the effort reached $284,312.

This incident unfolds during a regional fire season that typically spans from June to October. Nationally, the broader context shows 2,909,844 hectares burned so far in 2026, tracking 47% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Minnesota for 51 days. So far it has affected roughly 6,871 acres — about 28 km². The perimeter is 100% contained.

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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