2026 South Dakota wildfires

2026 South Dakota wildfires
The Qury Fire on the evening of March 12
← 2025

The 2026 South Dakota wildfires are a series of active wildfires currently ongoing in South Dakota.

Background

While "fire season" varies every year in South Dakota, most wildfires occur between February and April and June and August. However, there is an increasing fire danger year-round. Fire conditions can be exacerbated by drought, strong winds, and vegetation growth. Climate change is leading to increased temperatures, lower humidity levels, and drought conditions are happening more often. Additionally, warmer temperatures and less precipitation can result in less snowmelt, further contributing to bad wildfire conditions. The previous winter (2025-2026) was one of the warmest and driest on record in South Dakota, increasing the risk of wildfires.[1][2]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date Notes Ref.
Qury Custer 9,168 March 12 May 7 Caused evacuations for Custer. Approximately 10 properties were affected with structures being either damaged or destroyed. [3][4][5]
79 Custer 5,408 April 11 April 14 [6]
Thomas Ranch Sully 1,800 April 22 April 24 [7]
Taber Rec Bon Homme 1,573 April 22 April 26 [8]
Bauman Jackson 3,178 April 22 May 4 [9]
Fb 17 Todd 1,188 April 23 May 3 [10]
Guide Oglala Lakota 1,104 May 2 May 7 Burned 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Loneman. [11]
Potato Creek Jackson, Oglala Lakota 10,944 July 27 August 6 Lightning-caused. Burned 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Potato Creek. [12][13]
XU Hill Oglala Lakota 1,297 August 11
95%
 Lightning-caused. Burning near Rockyford. [14]

References

  1. ↑ Lim, Katrina (December 12, 2018). "A look back at the Legion Lake Fire one year later". KEVN. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  2. ↑ "SD fire slows, but toll includes tanker crash". The Denver Post. Associated Press. July 2, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Qury Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
  4. ↑ Tupper, Seth (March 15, 2026). "Wildfire near Custer damages 10 properties, authorities say". South Dakota Searchlight. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Qury - Wildfire and Smoke Map". data.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 17, 2026.
  6. ↑ "79 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Vegetation Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Taber Rec Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Bauman Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Fb 17 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved May 25, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Guide Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved May 4, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Potato Creek Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Potato Creek - Wildfire and Smoke Map". data.tihacajournal.com. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  14. ↑ "XU Hill - Wildfire and Smoke Map". dataphillyburbs.com. Retrieved August 25, 2026.
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