Feliz Fire, Hopland, California

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

Location4 miles northwest of Hopland, CA

What's burningTall Grass (2.5 feet)

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

ComplexityType 3 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionPrivate land

Cost so far$5.0 million

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

Burning for 12 days at an average daily growth of approximately 73 acres, the Feliz Fire has scorched 872 acres of private land situated 4 miles northwest of Hopland, California, within Mendocino County. The incident is managed by a Type 3 Incident Commander with a modest force of 3 personnel assigned to the Type 3 Incident.

Fire behavior is currently minimal and smoldering within the tall grass, which stands about 2.5 feet high. These containment efforts have successfully brought the fire to 100 percent containment as of its status update following its start on August 1, 2026. Total costs for managing the incident have reached $5,000,000.

This event occurs within a broader regional context where the typical fire season spans from June to October. Nationally, the situation reflects a below-average year so far, with 2,866,952 hectares burned in 2026, marking a 48 percent decrease compared to the two-decade average.