2026 Illinois Wildfires
Newest wildfires in Illinois
Largest wildfires in Illinois this season
All 2026 Illinois Fires · 18 fires
A fire is listed here when it is located in Illinois. Each complex is counted once, through its parent: the parent carries the complex's acres, and its member fires are listed beneath it without being counted again. A fire that crossed the border is listed with the acres that burned in Illinois, not its whole reported size. A fire located elsewhere that burned into Illinois is listed too, at its Illinois acres, and is not added to the Illinois fire counts.
| Fire | County | Start date | Containment | Status | Acres | Center | Ignition point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal Fire | Williamson | Feb 25, 2026 | — | Inactive | 65 | 37.7322, -89.0537 | 37.7328, -89.0561 |
| Bay City Fire | Pope | Feb 28, 2026 | — | Inactive | 27 | 37.1486, -88.4514 | 37.1451, -88.4628 |
| Howerdton Fire | Jackson | Sep 19, 2026 | — | Inactive | 20 | 37.6270, -89.4724 | 37.6294, -89.4720 |
| Devil'S Island Fire | Alexander | Mar 31, 2026 | — | Inactive | 15 | 37.3204, -89.4401 | 37.3203, -89.4391 |
| Line 13 Fire | Williamson | Mar 2, 2026 | — | Inactive | 8 | 37.6264, -89.0878 | 37.6259, -89.0878 |
| Millstone Fire | Pope | Mar 21, 2026 | — | Inactive | 6 | 37.4766, -88.6735 | 37.4744, -88.6757 |
| Dry Branch Fire | Union | Mar 26, 2026 | — | Inactive | 3 | 37.5510, -89.3506 | 37.5522, -89.3490 |
| Ragsdale Fire | Pope | Feb 20, 2026 | — | Inactive | 3 | 37.4245, -88.6746 | 37.4236, -88.6740 |
| Wilkins Road Fire | Pope | Oct 1, 2026 | — | Active | 1 | 37.5923, -88.6388 | 37.6070, -88.6353 |
| Raddle Creek Fire | Jackson | Mar 24, 2026 | — | Inactive | 1 | 37.7778, -89.5880 | 37.7723, -89.5791 |
| Chrisenberry Fire | Jackson | Mar 30, 2026 | — | Inactive | 0 | 37.7765, -89.4517 | 37.7753, -89.4507 |
| Oak Grove Fire | Jackson | Mar 29, 2026 | — | Inactive | 0 | 37.6392, -89.2372 | 37.6407, -89.2392 |
| Skelcher Fire | Williamson | Mar 23, 2026 | — | Inactive | 0 | 37.6098, -89.1025 | 37.6098, -89.1023 |
| Minerva Mine Road Fire | Hardin | Mar 15, 2026 | — | Inactive | 0 | 37.5338, -88.1303 | 37.5340, -88.1270 |
| Agin Grove Fire | Saline | Mar 4, 2026 | — | Inactive | 0 | 37.6588, -88.4426 | 37.6586, -88.4423 |
| Black Pond Fire | Jackson | Feb 28, 2026 | — | Inactive | 0 | 37.6237, -89.3888 | 37.6227, -89.3890 |
| Gilsen Hill Fire | Alexander | Feb 28, 2026 | — | Inactive | 0 | 37.1888, -89.3342 | 37.1883, -89.3335 |
| South Market Fire | Williamson | Feb 27, 2026 | — | Inactive | 0 | 37.6610, -88.9290 | 37.6589, -88.9283 |
| Totals | 2026 Season Fires 18 | Active Fires 1 | Acres Burning 1 | 2026 Season Acres 149 |
Land cover · Illinois 2026
Burned acres in Illinois for the 2026 season, split by the kind of land that burned. Each figure counts the LANDFIRE 30 m cells inside a fire's latest mapped perimeter. The Fires tab carries the reported season acreage.
Forest ownership · Illinois 2026
Burned forest acres in Illinois for the 2026 season, split by who owns the land. Owners are mapped for forestland, so every figure here counts burned cells whose LANDFIRE lifeform is Tree. The Fires tab carries the season acreage this site reports.
Burn severity · Illinois 2026
Burned acres in Illinois for the 2026 season, split by how severely each cell of ground burned. Each figure counts the 30 m cells inside a fire's latest mapped perimeter, measured from satellite imagery. The Fires tab carries the reported season acreage.
Severity comes from the differenced normalized burn ratio (dNBR), the same index the federal burn severity programs publish, classified with the standard thresholds.
This is an initial assessment. Trees keep dying for months after a burn, so severity in forest reads conservative until the official assessments arrive after the season.