Xu Hill Fire (South Dakota)
Started on Aug 11, 2026.
United States todayLive
True color
Fire (SWIR)
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).
Active fires nearby2 · 100 km
Quick facts
- Location
- 12 Miles N from White River Ranger Station, SD
- Cause
- Natural
- Personnel
- 6
- Complexity
- Type 4 Incident
- Fuel
- Tall Grass (2.5 feet)
- Behavior
- Minimal, Running, Flanking
- Jurisdiction
- BIA · Federal land
Burning across 1,297 acres of federal land in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, the natural-cause Xu Hill Fire near Rockyford has reached 100% containment after a 16-day burn marked by an average daily growth of approximately 81 acres per day. The Type 4 Incident, managed by a Type 4 Incident Commander and supported by a crew of six personnel overseen by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, burned through 2.5-foot tall grass with fire behavior characterized as minimal, running, and flanking.
The fire unfolded within the region's typical June to October fire season, contributing to a broader national landscape where 3,102,331 hectares have burned so far in 2026, a total running 43% below the two-decade average. Operations on the incident accumulated a total cost of $150,000 before achieving full containment.
In context
This wildfire has been burning in South Dakota for 30 days. So far it has affected roughly 1,297 acres — about 5.2 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 3,201,049 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 42% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.
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