← Back

Box Springs Fire (Oregon)

Contained · 100% contained · 21,432 acres · started 2026-07-17 · updated 2026-08-10

Box Springs Fire (Oregon) — Sentinel-2 true color Box Springs Fire (Oregon) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego) True color Fire (SWIR)
True color (left): as the eye sees it.
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire

Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.

Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).

Quick facts

Location
18 Miles W from MITCHELL, OR
Cause
Natural
Personnel
209
Complexity
Type 1 Incident
Fuel
Short Grass (1 foot)
Behavior
Active, Crowning, Group Torching, Spotting
Jurisdiction
Private land

Spanning 21,432 acres of private land in Jefferson County, the Box Springs Fire near Prineville, Oregon, burned for 24 days with an average daily growth of approximately 893 acres per day. Active fire behavior was characterized by crowning, group torching, and spotting within short grass fuels standing one foot tall. Satellites detected 32 heat signatures over a 48-hour period in the vicinity of the 18 miles west of Mitchell location.

Operations to suppress the blaze, which started on July 17, 2026, from a natural cause, involved 209 personnel operating under a Complex Incident Management Team as a Type 1 Incident. These combined efforts successfully brought the fire to 100 percent containment, accumulating a total cost of $1,122,770.

This incident unfolds during a regional fire season that typically spans from June to October. Nationally, the broader context reveals that 2,761,076 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a total that is 50 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Oregon for 51 days. So far it has affected roughly 21,432 acres — about 87 km². The perimeter is 100% contained.

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.

The bigger picture in United States

Across United States, roughly 3,178,795 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 42% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

Follow this fire

We'll email you if it grows, containment advances, or it ends.

Get wildfire alerts near here An email when satellites detect new fire in this area. Free, no account.

Community reports

Reports from people near the fire · unverified

No reports yet. Nearby? Be the first to report.

Be the first to report what is happening →

Not official emergency information. In an emergency, contact fire services/authorities.

More fires in Oregon

See all wildfires in Oregon →
← Live wildfire map