Burnt Canyon Fire, Mooreland, Oklahoma

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

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location12 miles northwest of Mooreland, OK

CauseNatural

What's burningShort Grass (1 foot)

How it's behavingMinimal, Single Tree TorchingSmoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.

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

JurisdictionDVF · State land

Cost so far$211,738

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 20, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across Woodward County in Oklahoma, the Burnt Canyon Fire has reached full containment after scorching 3,335 acres of short grass near Mooreland since its natural start on August 15, 2026. Over its five-day burning period, the incident expanded at an approximate average daily growth of 667 acres per day, supported by fuel consisting of one-foot short grass. Fire behavior at the scene is currently minimal, characterized by smoldering and occasional single tree torching under the management of a Type 5 Incident Command and a single personnel deployed by DVF on state-owned land. Total suppression costs have reached $211,738.

This event unfolds within the context of Oklahoma's typical fire season, which spans from June to October. Nationally, the broader wildfire landscape for 2026 reflects a below-average footprint, with 2,955,961 hectares burned so far this year, marking a 46 percent decrease compared to the two-decade average.