Bunker Fire, East Camden, Arkansas (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 31

1,154Hectares2,851Acres31Days burning

Containment95%

Started on Sep 14, 2026. 5% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

47Active436Hotspots 48h813 kHectares

Last 7 days · steady

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Bunker Fire (Arkansas) — Sentinel-2 true color

Bunker Fire (Arkansas) — 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: 2 miles east of East Camden, AR
People working on it: 42 people
Complexity: Type 3 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning: Southern Rough
How it's behaving: MinimalSpotting — 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.Flanking — Grows along the sides, not head-on.
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 for 18 days across Calhoun County, the Bunker Fire has charred 2,851 acres of private land situated two miles east of East Camden, Arkansas, averaging approximately 158 acres of daily growth. Firefighters have achieved 95 percent containment on the active Type 3 incident, though current fire behavior remains characterized by minimal activity, spotting, and flanking within southern rough fuels.

A contingent of 42 personnel managed by a Type 3 Incident Commander continues suppression operations on the ground, keeping the cumulative cost of the response at $500,000. This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which spans from June to October. Across the broader national landscape, 3,321,855 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 39 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Arkansas for 30 days. So far it has affected roughly 2,851 acres — about 12 km². At 95% containment, the fire is nearly under control.

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