Mcconnell Fire, Nevada (2026) — Map & Containment

This fire in numbersDay 47

13,685Hectares33,816Acres47Days burning

Containment99%

Started on Aug 25, 2026. 1% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

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Mcconnell Fire (Nevada) — Sentinel-2 true color

Mcconnell Fire (Nevada) — 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

Quick facts

Location: 3 miles east of Orovada, NV
Cause: Natural
People working on it: 16 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: MinimalCreeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.Backing — Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.Group Torching — Whole clumps of trees flaring at once.
Jurisdiction: BLM · 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 42 days across Humboldt County, Nevada, the 33,816-acre McConnell Fire near Orovada is maintaining an active status with 99 percent containment, sustained by a daily growth trajectory averaging approximately 805 acres. Satellites have registered four heat detections near the perimeter over the past 48 hours, while field reports indicate moderate fire behavior characterized by creeping, backing, and group torching within one-foot short grass on federal land managed by the BLM. Natural factors sparked the blaze on August 25, 2026, prompting a Type 3 Incident response led by a Type 3 IC with 13 personnel assigned, bringing the total suppression cost to $11,960,000.

The incident unfolds within the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October, and coincides with a broader national context where 3,331,321 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure 39 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Nevada for 46 days. So far it has affected roughly 33,816 acres — about 137 km². At 99% containment, the fire is nearly under control.

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