Lake Ranch Fire, McAlester, 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 McAlester, OK

CauseHuman

What's burningTall Grass (2.5 feet)

How it's behavingMinimalTorching — Whole trees flaring up like torches.

ComplexityType 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionPrivate land

Cost so far$3,000

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

The Lake Ranch Fire in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, located 12 miles northwest of McAlester, has officially ended after burning for 40 days following its start on September 24, 2026. Over the course of the incident, the fire consumed 390 acres of private land primarily fueled by 2.5-foot tall grass. During its prolonged duration, the fire exhibited an average daily growth of approximately 10 acres per day.

By the time the incident was brought to 100 percent containment, operations involved a modest response of 4 personnel managing the Type 4 Incident. The total cost to address the human-caused fire reached about $3,000. While minimal fire behavior and torching were noted, the incident has now concluded entirely.

This fire occurred within the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. On a broader scale, total fire activity across the country reached 3,478,679 hectares burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 37 percent below the two-decade average.