Moose Mountain Fire, Idaho (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 83

2,360Hectares5,832Acres83Days burning

Containment90%

Started on Jul 30, 2026. 10% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

38Active1,280Hotspots 48h582 kHectares

Last 7 days · falling

All United States wildfires

Moose Mountain Fire (Idaho) — Sentinel-2 true color

Moose Mountain Fire (Idaho) — 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 nearby1 · 100 km

74KM NEBras Fire1,688 acres · 35% contained

Within 100 kmSee on map →

Quick facts

Location: 27 miles northeast of Pierce, ID
Cause: Natural
People working on it: 36 people
Complexity: Type 3 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: MinimalCreeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.Smoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.
Jurisdiction: USFS · 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 70 days at an average daily growth rate of approximately 83 acres per day, the active Moose Mountain Fire in Clearwater County, Idaho, is located 27 miles northeast of Pierce. The 5,832-acre federal incident, managed by a Type 4 Incident Commander and supported by a Type 3 Incident complexity, has achieved 90 percent containment with a workforce of 36 personnel.

Originating from a natural cause on July 30, 2026, the fire is fueled by timber, including litter and understory, and currently exhibits minimal, creeping, and smoldering fire behavior. United States Forest Service operations on the federal land have accumulated a total cost of $9,465,000.

This event unfolds within the region's typical fire season spanning from June to October. Nationally, the broader context shows that 3,343,020 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 Idaho for 82 days. So far it has affected roughly 5,832 acres — about 24 km². At 90% containment, the fire is nearly under control.

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