Clearwater Fire (VA)
True color
Fire (SWIR)
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.
🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire
Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.
Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).
Quick facts
- Location
- 5 Miles NW from Belle Haven, VA
- Personnel
- 7
- Complexity
- Type 4 Incident
- Fuel
- Timber (Litter and Understory)
- Behavior
- Moderate
- Jurisdiction
- Private land
Burning through timber litter and understory on private land, the active Clearwater Fire has scorched 315 acres in Accomack County since it started on August 11, 2026. Located five miles northwest of Belle Haven, Virginia, the fire has maintained an average daily growth of approximately 79 acres per day over its four days of burning, while exhibiting moderate fire behavior. Containment efforts have reached 40 percent under a Type 4 Incident management structure, supported by a modest team of seven personnel and accumulating suppression costs of $12,000.
This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Nationally, the broader wildfire landscape shows 2,902,022 hectares burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 47 percent below the two-decade average.
In context
This wildfire has been burning in Virginia for 4 days. So far it has affected roughly 315 acres — about 1.3 km². Crews have contained 40% 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.
The bigger picture in United States
Across United States, roughly 2,909,844 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 47% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.
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Community reports
Reports from people near the fire · unverified
Not official emergency information. In an emergency, contact fire services/authorities.