Wildfires in South Dakota
South Dakota is a state of the United States — shortgrass and tallgrass prairie, rangeland and cropland. This live map tracks every wildfire and satellite hotspot detected across South Dakota, updated continuously from NASA satellite data and official national fire sources. Wildfires here come in two waves: fast-moving grass fires in late winter and spring before green-up, and again in late summer when the grass cures. Its capital is Sioux Falls. Other main centres include Rapid City.
Current fires in South Dakota
Main towns
Sioux Falls Rapid City
Neighbouring regions
Counties
Aurora Beadle Bennett Bon Homme Brookings Brown Brule Buffalo Butte Campbell Charles Mix Clark Clay Codington Corson Custer Davison Day Deuel Dewey Douglas Edmunds Fall River Faulk Grant Gregory Haakon Hamlin Hand Hanson Harding Hughes Hutchinson Hyde Jackson Jerauld Jones Kingsbury Knox Lake Lawrence Lyman Marshall McCook McPherson Meade Mellette Miner Minnehaha Moody Oglala Lakota Pennington Perkins Potter Sanborn Sioux Spink Stanley Sully Todd Traverse Tripp Turner Walworth Yankton Ziebach
Wildfire season in South Dakota
Wildfires across South Dakota come in two waves: fast-moving grass fires in late winter and spring before green-up, and again in late summer when the grass cures. Higher temperatures, low humidity and wind make fires start and spread faster — check the fire-danger level before lighting any fire or working outdoors.
What the South Dakota fire map shows
Every fire on this page is an automatic heat detection from NASA satellites (VIIRS and MODIS), grouped into fire events and updated continuously; where official national sources publish data, it is shown alongside. South Dakota groups 66 counties; open any of them for its local map. Satellite detections are not verified on the ground — never use them for safety decisions, and always follow the emergency services (call 911).
Frequently asked questions
When is the wildfire season in South Dakota?
Which places in South Dakota does the map cover?
Where does the South Dakota wildfire data come from?
Is the South Dakota fire map official?
⚠️ The fires shown are automatic satellite heat detections from NASA FIRMS, augmented with official NIFC / WFIGS incidents where available. Satellite detections are not verified on the ground and are not 100% accurate — they can include false alarms (industrial heat, prescribed burns) or miss small or cloud-covered fires. Do not use this map for safety decisions; always follow official sources.