Cascade Fire (ID)

Burning across 3,900 acres of federal timber and understory in Idaho County, the active Cascade Fire has now been on the landscape for 28 days since its natural ignition on July 17, 2026. Located 19 miles east of Lowell, Idaho, the incident is managed by a Type 4 Incident Command under the USFS with an accumulated cost of $80,000. Over its nearly month-long trajectory, the fire has maintained an approximate average daily growth of 139 acres.

Current fire behavior is characterized as moderate, backing, and flanking. Despite these active fronts, satellites are picking up 14 heat signatures clustered nearby over the past 48 hours, reflecting the current spread while containment efforts progress to 50 percent under a Type 4 Incident organization.

This event unfolds within a wider national context where 2,893,377 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, tracking 47 percent below the two-decade average. This regional activity falls squarely within the typical fire season, which runs from June to October.