Bryson Fire, Malibu, California (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 2

81Hectares200Acres2Days burning

Containment0%

Started on Oct 15, 2026. 100% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

41Active659Hotspots 48h793 kHectares

Last 7 days · steady

All United States wildfires

Bryson Fire (California) — NASA satellite

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

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

Quick facts

Location: 8 miles south of Thousand Oaks, CA
People working on it: 414 people
Complexity: Type 3 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning: Chaparral (6 feet)
How it's behaving: Active, Single Tree TorchingSpotting — 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.
Jurisdiction: Private 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 through six-foot chaparral in Los Angeles County, the active Bryson Fire has grown to 200 acres since it started on October 15, 2026. Located eight miles south of Thousand Oaks and near Malibu in California, the blaze is currently zero percent contained. Fire behavior is characterized as active with spotting and single tree torching, threatening private land.

A Type 3 Incident management team consisting of 414 personnel is assigned to suppress the fire, with costs already reaching $750,000. This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Across the country, 3,379,469 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 38 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in California for 1 day. So far it has affected roughly 200 acres — about 0.8 km². Crews report no containment yet, so the fire can still spread.

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