Luna Fire, Marblemount, Washington (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 101

3,461Hectares8,553Acres101Days burning

Containment42%

Started on Jul 2, 2026. 58% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

48Active947Hotspots 48h727 kHectares

Last 7 days · falling

All United States wildfires

Luna Fire (Washington) — Sentinel-2 true color

Luna Fire (Washington) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego)

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

Red dots: heat detected by satellite in the last 48h. NASA FIRMS

Active fires nearby4 · 100 km

24KM NEBorder 2 Fire9,108 acres · 75% contained 24KM NEHozomeen Mountain Fire6,277 ha 39KM NEBig Burn Creek Fire899 ha 40KM NEDaynar Creek Fire655 ha

Within 100 kmSee on map →

Quick facts

Location: 10 miles north of Newhalem, WA
Cause: Natural
People working on it: 1 people
Complexity: Type 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning: Timber (Litter and Understory)
How it's behaving: MinimalSmoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.Creeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.
Jurisdiction: NPS · Federal 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 for 83 days across Whatcom County, Washington, the active Luna Fire has steadily claimed 8,553 acres at an average daily growth of approximately 103 acres per day. Located 10 miles north of Newhalem and near Marblemount, the wildfire spans federal land managed by the National Park Service. Satellites are picking up 22 heat signatures nearby in the past 48 hours, highlighting the ongoing spread of the incident.

Fire behavior on the timber, litter, and understory fuels is characterized as moderate, featuring backing, flanking, and creeping activity. Containment has reached 42 percent under the direction of a Type 4 Incident Command utilizing five personnel for this Type 4 Incident. The natural-cause fire has accumulated 3,071,859 dollars in costs.

This incident occurs within a regional fire season that typically runs from June to October. Across the country, 3,270,726 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 40 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Washington for 100 days. So far it has affected roughly 8,553 acres — about 35 km². Crews have contained 42% 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.