Chileno Fire, PETALUMA, California (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 1

138Hectares341Acres1Days burning

Containment5%

Started on Sep 21, 2026. 95% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

85Active476Hotspots 48h1.3 MHectares

Last 7 days · falling

All United States wildfires

Chileno 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: 9 miles east of TOMALES, CA
People working on it: 110 people
Complexity: Type 3 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning: Short Grass (1 foot)
How it's behaving: Active
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 short grass in Marin County, the active Chileno Fire has consumed 341 acres since it started on September 21, 2026. Located nine miles east of Tomales and near Petaluma, California, the incident is managed by a Type 3 Incident Commander with 110 personnel assigned to the effort. Despite its active behavior, the fire currently stands at 5 percent containment, with suppression costs reaching $500,000 on private land.

The broader fire landscape reflects a milder season than usual, as 3,259,929 hectares have burned nationwide so far in 2026, marking a 41 percent decrease compared to the two-decade average. This incident occurs within the region's typical fire season, which traditionally spans from June to October.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in California for less than a day. So far it has affected roughly 341 acres — about 1.4 km². Crews have contained 5% of the perimeter, but most of the fire line is still open.

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