Xu Hill Fire (SD)
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).
Quick facts
- Location
- 12 Miles N from White River Ranger Station, SD
- Cause
- Natural
- Personnel
- 28
- Complexity
- Type 4 Incident
- Fuel
- Tall Grass (2.5 feet)
- Behavior
- Minimal, Running, Flanking
- Jurisdiction
- BIA · Federal land
Burning for six days with an average daily growth of approximately 216 acres, the active Xu Hill Fire has grown to 1,297 acres near Rockyford in Oglala Lakota, South Dakota. Located 12 miles north of the White River Ranger Station on federal land managed by the BIA, the fire is currently 90 percent contained. Fire behavior is characterized as minimal, running, and flanking through tall grass standing 2.5 feet high.
A Type 4 Incident managed by a Type 4 IC, the wildfire is being addressed by a total of 28 personnel with suppression costs reaching $90,000. The natural-start fire began on August 11, 2026. This incident occurs during the region's typical fire season, which spans from June to October. Nationally, the broader context shows 2,921,034 hectares burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 47 percent below the two-decade average.
In context
This wildfire has been burning in South Dakota for 6 days. So far it has affected roughly 1,297 acres — about 5.2 km². At 90% containment, the fire is nearly under control.
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 2,921,034 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 47% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.
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Community reports
Reports from people near the fire · unverified
Not official emergency information. In an emergency, contact fire services/authorities.
More fires in South Dakota
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