← Back

Big Rock Fire (Idaho)

Ended · 100% containedCrews stopped it spreading on 100% of the perimeter. Not the same as out, and not 100% burned. · 2,142 acres (867 hectares) · Started · Updated

This fire in numbers15 days
867Hectares2,142Acres15Days it lasted
Containment100%

Started on Jul 31, 2026.

United States todayLive
98Active956Hotspots 48h1.3 MHectares
Last 7 days · steadyHow many named wildfires were burning on each of the last 7 days. It rises when there are more than on the earlier days.
All United States wildfires
Big Rock Fire (Idaho) — Sentinel-2 true color Big Rock Fire (Idaho) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego) True view Fire view
True view (left): as the eye sees it.
Fire view (right): infrared (SWIR), sees through smoke and brings out the heat.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 brown = already burned
🟠 orange = fire right now

Drag to compare: normal photo on the left, heat brought out on the right.

Green: vegetationBrown: already burnedOrange: fire right nowSentinel-2 · Copernicus

Red dots: heat detected by satellite in the last 48h. NASA FIRMS

Quick facts

Location
20 miles east of Idaho Falls, ID
Cause
Natural
People working on it
3 people
Complexity
Type 2 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning
Brush (2 feet)
How it's behaving
MinimalCreeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.Smoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.
Jurisdiction
BLM · Federal land
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.

Burning across 2,142 acres of federal land in Jefferson County, the Big Rock Fire is now 100 percent contained after a 13-day run that saw it expand at an average rate of approximately 165 acres per day. Located 20 miles east of Idaho Falls, Idaho, the blaze was managed by a Type 5 Incident Commander overseeing three personnel under the direction of the BLM. Fire behavior had quieted down to minimal, creeping, and smoldering activity within two-foot brush fuels before crews successfully locked down the perimeter.

The natural-caused incident accumulated a total cost of $3,530,000 as a Type 2 Incident before reaching full containment. Across the country, the 2026 fire season—which typically runs from June to October—has seen 2,893,377 hectares burned so far, tracking 47 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Idaho for 14 days. In total it burned about 2,142 acres — around 8.7 km².

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 3,243,965 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 41% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

Follow this fire

We'll email you if it grows, if it gets more contained, or if it goes out.

At most one alert every 6 hours, and only when something changes.

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 Idaho

See all wildfires in United States →
← Live wildfire map