St. Louis County, Minnesota · Wildfire
| Metric | Last report | Now | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size |
24,753 acres Aug 15, 6:01 PM
|
24,755 acres
Aug 17, 12:01 PM
+2 acres
was 24,753 acres · Aug 15, 6:01 PM
|
+2 acres
in 2 days
|
| Containment |
42% Aug 17, 11:00 AM
|
44%
Aug 17, 12:01 PM
+2 percent
was 42% · Aug 17, 11:00 AM
|
+2 percent
in about 1 hour
|
| Crew size |
152 Aug 17, 11:00 AM
|
141
Aug 17, 12:01 PM
−11
was 152 · Aug 17, 11:00 AM
|
−11
in about 1 hour
|
| Money spent |
$3.3M Aug 17, 11:00 AM
|
$3.8M
Aug 17, 12:01 PM
+$551,032
was $3.3M · Aug 17, 11:00 AM
|
+$551,032
in about 1 hour
|
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The Thumb Fire is a wildfire near St. Louis County, Minnesota. It has burned about 24,755 acres (about 19,000 football fields). Crews have boxed in 44% of its edge; the other 56% isn't contained yet. It was first reported about 6 weeks ago. About 141 people are on it, run by a Complex Incident Management Team. We're also tracking 7 other active fires within about 75 miles.
The size and containment above are current as of Monday, August 17th at 12:01 p.m. CDT.
Hot, dry, and windy weather can help a fire grow; cool, calm, or wet weather helps crews. The tags below rate each day for fire spread — green is calm, red can push a fire.
A general fire-weather guide (wind matters most, then how dry it is, then heat), not a prediction of what this fire will do.
Today
80°F · Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Wind 5 to 10 mph W · 73% chance of rain
Tonight
49°F · Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy
Wind 0 to 5 mph W · 75% chance of rain
Tuesday
72°F · Sunny
Wind 0 to 10 mph W · 0% chance of rain
Tuesday Night
44°F · Mostly Clear
Wind 0 to 10 mph W · 0% chance of rain
Wednesday
72°F · Sunny
Wind 0 to 5 mph NW · 0% chance of rain
Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Monday, August 17th at 11:01 a.m. CDT.
About 141 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Complex Incident Management Team. The government rates it a Type 1 Incident (the highest complexity level). About $4 million has been spent on it so far.
The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.
We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:
Within about 75 miles we're tracking 7 other active fires, closest first:
Fighting fire is a job you can get
Wildland firefighting is an entry-level job. You start with no experience and no college degree, and one season pays more than most summer internships.
Most crews hire in fall and winter for the next summer, when more jobs open up.
Minnesota has 3 of these jobs open right now.
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