The Big Grass fire started in Malheur, Oregon on July 23, 2026, and has burned 280,000 acres with minimal containment, posing direct fire risk to structures in the affected area.
Overview written from official NASA EONET and National Interagency Fire Center/IRWIN data.
- Type
- Wildfires
- Official size
- 442,316 acres
- Containment
- 41%
- Cause
- Natural
- Began
- Status
- Ongoing
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Affected area map
The shaded area is the affected-area perimeter reported for this event by NASA EONET (Malheur, Oregon), colored by hazard type. Pan and zoom to explore the map; when more than one observation exists, use the slider below to step through how the reported area changed.
Interactive affected-area map
Malheur, Oregon · ≈ 710 sq mi reported extent · Enable JavaScript to explore the map.
2026-08-08 00:01 UTC · ≈ 710 sq mi · snapshot 24 of 24
View the timeline — how the reported area changed
Official size & containment
Official incident size and containment reported through NIFC / IRWIN, as we observed it. Newest first.
- 442,316 acres +162,316 41% contained
- 280,000 acres ±0 39% contained
- 280,000 acres −110,900 39% contained
- 390,900 acres +110,900 39% contained
- 280,000 acres −78,911 39% contained
- 358,911 acres +78,911 39% contained
- 280,000 acres ±0 35% contained
- 280,000 acres ±0 35% contained
Show 22 earlier observations
- 280,000 acres −66,678 35% contained
- 346,678 acres +4,326 35% contained
- 342,352 acres ±0 25% contained
- 342,352 acres +62,352 25% contained
- 280,000 acres −56,779 19% contained
- 336,779 acres +29,261 19% contained
- 307,518 acres ±0 19% contained
- 307,518 acres +3,289 19% contained
- 304,229 acres +24,229 21% contained
- 280,000 acres −23,057 21% contained
- 303,057 acres ±0 21% contained
- 303,057 acres +1,485 21% contained
- 301,572 acres ±0 15% contained
- 301,572 acres +21,572 15% contained
- 280,000 acres −8,120 5% contained
- 288,120 acres ±0 5% contained
- 288,120 acres +8,120 5% contained
- 280,000 acres −20,000 5% contained
- 300,000 acres ±0 5% contained
- 300,000 acres +20,000 5% contained
- 280,000 acres ±0 5% contained
- 280,000 acres 5% contained
Shown as reported by our sources — not an official product. For current advisories and the authoritative map, see NASA EONET ↗.
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Latest updates
Official updates and news coverage for this event, newest first — National Weather Service products, local storm reports, incident updates and press headlines. Official items are verbatim government text; news headlines link out to the original outlet.
- Incident update InciWeb
2026 Big Grass Fire
The Big Grass Fire started on July 23, 2026, following a lightning strike. Fuels in the area consist of brush, short grasses, and tall grasses. The fire will continue to exhibit extreme fire behavior, with rapid rates of spread in all directions when smoke lifts and winds pick up in the afternoon.The fire has advanced to the point where protection of the wildland-urban interface has become the primary operational focus. Point protection operations are underway for multiple residences as the fire continues to progress. Continued fire spread is expected into Idaho along both the northern and southern portions of the fire area, with steady eastward progression up South Mountain.Numerous residential structures, outbuildings, and associated improvements remain threatened as the fire continues to advance toward the community of Jordan Valley. Additional values at risk include the Wild and Scenic River corridor, North Fork Campground, Three Forks Campground, priority sage-grouse habitat, essential pronghorn habitat, grazing allotments, a Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS), the South Mountain communication site, and numerous mining operations farther north. Continued fire spread has t…
- Incident update InciWeb
Big Grass Fire
An aggressive full-suppression strategy is in place for the Big Grass Fire to protect communities, structures, critical infrastructure, and other valuable resources at risk. Efforts are focused on minimizing impacts on public, private, and state lands, as well as natural and cultural resources. This is being done in coordination with the local Rangeland Fire Protection Association (RFPA) and cooperating agencies. Current Situation: Yesterday, the fire was very active on the southern perimeter, spreading south over both the main and south fork of the Owyhee River. The fire also moved southeast toward Deep Creek. Crews continued to build and improve containment lines from the Boulder Creek area to Josephine Road, as well as along Mud Flat Road. Hot, dry conditions, along with gusty afternoon winds, caused the fire to jump across the containment line near Josephine Road and farther south along Star Ranch Road. Crews worked throughout the night and were able to get containment lines around the spot fires. Today, hot and dry conditions, along with gusty winds, will increase fire activity this afternoon. The top priority is to continue constructing and improving the containment line from…
Updates are captured automatically from official and news sources, and may lag the live source. For the very latest, see NASA EONET ↗.