Minnesota · Active · 24,755 acres
Thumb Fire, Minnesota
24,755
Acres reported
44%
Contained
0
Acres since yesterday
Last updated · refreshed every 15 minutes from the NIFC WFIGS feed · awareness only — follow local authorities
Update ·
As of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC, the Thumb Fire is listed as active at 24,755 acres, 44% contained, in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
No change in reported size or containment since Aug 17, 2026, 09:00 UTC.
The most recent mapped perimeter (Aug 17, 2026, 20:12 UTC) covers 24,912 acres; the mapped perimeter has been updated 43 times since the fire began.
No satellite heat detections matched to this incident in the last 24 hours (last one Aug 14, 2026, 09:20 UTC).
Thumb Fire map
The most recent mapped perimeter (solid) and the previous day's perimeter (dashed), with the reported point of origin.
Latest perimeter Previous perimeter · Perimeters come from the WFIGS interagency perimeter service and are usually mapped once a day; the mapped area can differ from the reported acreage.
Key facts
- Size
- 24,755 acres
- Containment
- 44%
- Status
- Active
- Discovered
- Jul 7, 2026
- Location
- St. Louis County, Minnesota
- Origin point
- 48.2877, -92.1922
- Perimeter mapped
- Aug 17, 2026 (13 hours ago)
- Satellite heat, 24 h
- none matched
Nearest towns
Distances are from the reported point of origin, not from the fire’s edge (see the perimeter map for the current extent).
- Ely, MN
- Babbitt, MN
- Aurora, MN
- Hoyt Lakes, MN
- Virginia, MN
Other fires nearby
- Wolfpack Fire
- Sioux Fire
- Dark Fire
- Bear Trap Fire
- Camp Fire
Thumb Fire daily history
The largest size and containment reported each UTC day, from our 15-minute archive of the federal feed (first seen Jul 7, 2026, 22:45 UTC).
| Day (UTC) | Reported size | Change | Contained |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2026 | 24,755 acres | 0 | 44% |
| Aug 17, 2026 | 24,755 acres | 0 | 44% |
| Aug 16, 2026 | 24,755 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 15, 2026 | 24,755 acres | +2 | — |
| Aug 14, 2026 | 24,753 acres | +7,119 | — |
| Aug 13, 2026 | 17,634 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 12, 2026 | 17,634 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 11, 2026 | 17,634 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 17,634 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 9, 2026 | 17,634 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 8, 2026 | 17,634 acres | −58 | — |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 17,692 acres | −1 | — |
| Aug 6, 2026 | 17,693 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 5, 2026 | 17,693 acres | +320 | — |
| Aug 4, 2026 | 17,373 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 17,373 acres | 0 | — |
| Aug 2, 2026 | 17,373 acres | +392 | — |
| Aug 1, 2026 | 16,981 acres | +69 | — |
| Jul 31, 2026 | 16,912 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 30, 2026 | 16,912 acres | +7 | — |
| Jul 29, 2026 | 16,905 acres | +15 | — |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 16,890 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 16,890 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 26, 2026 | 16,890 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 25, 2026 | 16,890 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 24, 2026 | 16,890 acres | +37 | — |
| Jul 23, 2026 | 16,853 acres | +33 | — |
| Jul 22, 2026 | 16,820 acres | +8 | — |
| Jul 21, 2026 | 16,812 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 20, 2026 | 16,812 acres | +1,418 | — |
| Jul 19, 2026 | 15,394 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 18, 2026 | 15,394 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 17, 2026 | 15,394 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 16, 2026 | 15,394 acres | +894 | — |
| Jul 15, 2026 | 14,500 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 14, 2026 | 14,500 acres | +9,852 | — |
| Jul 13, 2026 | 4,648 acres | +4,148 | — |
| Jul 12, 2026 | 500 acres | +400 | — |
| Jul 11, 2026 | 100 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 10, 2026 | 100 acres | +80 | — |
| Jul 9, 2026 | 20 acres | +20 | — |
| Jul 8, 2026 | 0.1 acres | 0 | — |
| Jul 7, 2026 | 0.1 acres | — | — |
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Thumb Fire questions, answered from the data
How big is the Thumb Fire?
As of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC, the Thumb Fire is reported at 24,755 acres. No change in reported size or containment since Aug 17, 2026, 09:00 UTC.
Is the Thumb Fire contained?
Not fully. It was 44% contained as of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC. Containment is the share of the fire's edge that has a control line; it is reported by the incident team and can lag the ground situation.
Where is the Thumb Fire?
The reported point of origin is at 48.2877, -92.1922 in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Nearest towns: Ely (31 mi SE), Babbitt (42 mi S), Aurora (52 mi S). The map on this page shows the most recent mapped perimeter.
Is the Thumb Fire still burning?
The federal feed still lists it as active as of Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC; no satellite heat detections were matched to it in the last 24 hours.
Where do I find evacuation orders for the Thumb Fire?
From the county sheriff and local emergency management, not from this site. Check the official Minnesota sources on our Minnesota page and your county’s alert system. FireRiskHere is for awareness only.
How current is this page?
The numbers come from the National Interagency Fire Center's WFIGS incident feed and the WFIGS perimeter service, refreshed every 15 minutes, plus NASA FIRMS satellite detections hourly. This page was last updated Aug 18, 2026, 09:15 UTC. Acreage and containment are what the incident team reports and can lag by hours.
About this page
This page is generated automatically for every wildfire whose reported size reaches 1,000 acres, from FireRiskHere’s archive of the National Interagency Fire Center’s WFIGS incident feed (captured every 15 minutes), the WFIGS interagency perimeter service, and NASA FIRMS satellite detections. It stays online after the fire is contained as a record of the incident. Nothing here is an official notice — for evacuation orders and road closures follow your county sheriff and local emergency management. How the site works →