B.B Fire, Pawhuska, Oklahoma — Map & Containment

B.B Fire, Pawhuska, Oklahoma — NASA satellite

Yesterday's image: fire shows in orange and red. NASA MODIS

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location6 miles northeast of Foraker, OK

What's burningTall Grass (2.5 feet)

How it's behavingMinimalCreeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.

ComplexityType 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionPrivate land

Cost so far$35,000

Glossary: what each term means

Minimal

Barely moving. Low, thin smoke.

Smoldering

Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.

Creeping

Moves slowly, hugging the ground.

Moderate

Spreads with low, steady flames.

Active

Spreading evenly and steadily, with visible flame.

Extreme

Fast and unpredictable.

Running

Runs along the ground much faster than a person walks.

Flanking

Grows along the sides, not head-on.

Backing

Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.

Crowning

Climbs into the treetops and jumps crown to crown. It can't be attacked from the ground.

Short Crown Runs

Climbs into the crowns in bursts and drops back down.

Torching

Whole trees flaring up like torches.

Isolated Torching

Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.

Group Torching

Whole clumps of trees flaring at once.

Spotting

Wind carries embers through the air and starts new fires ahead of the front: that is how a fire jumps a road or a firebreak.

Wind Driven Runs

The wind pushes it in long runs in one direction.

The ones marked ● are the behaviors that make a fire harder to stop. They are not a warning or an instruction: they are the description written by the agency in charge. For decisions, always follow your emergency services.

The story so far

Summary written on Aug 10, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across Osage County, the active B.B Fire is located six miles northeast of Foraker, Oklahoma, near Pawhuska, having scorched 2,304 acres of private land featuring 2.5-foot tall grass since it started on August 5, 2026. Over the course of five days burning, the incident has maintained an approximate average daily growth of 461 acres per day, though current fire behavior is characterized as minimal and creeping, allowing response efforts to reach 95 percent containment.

Operations are currently managed by a Type 4 Incident Command structure utilizing eight personnel, with total costs reaching $35,000. Nationally, the broader wildfire context for 2026 shows 2,799,726 hectares burned so far, tracking 49 percent below the two-decade average during a regional fire season that typically spans from June to October.