Started on Aug 29, 2026.
United States todayLive
Green: vegetationBrown: already burnedOrange: fire right nowSentinel-2 · Copernicus
Red dots: heat detected by satellite in the last 48h. NASA FIRMS
Quick facts
- Location
- 60 miles northwest of South Rim Grand Canyon NP, AZ
- People working on it
- 16 people
- Complexity
- Type 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
- What's burning
- Brush (2 feet)
- How it's behaving
- MinimalSmoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.Backing — Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.Creeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.
- Jurisdiction
- NPS · Federal land
Glossary: what each term means
Barely moving. Low, thin smoke.
Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.
Moves slowly, hugging the ground.
Spreads with low, steady flames.
Spreading evenly and steadily, with visible flame.
Fast and unpredictable.
Runs along the ground much faster than a person walks.
Grows along the sides, not head-on.
Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.
Climbs into the treetops and jumps crown to crown. It can't be attacked from the ground.
Climbs into the crowns in bursts and drops back down.
Whole trees flaring up like torches.
Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.
Whole clumps of trees flaring at once.
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.
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 across Mohave County, Arizona, the Mount Emma Fire has reached full containment after a nine-day run that consumed 368 acres of federal land. Managed as a Type 4 Incident by the National Park Service with a 16-person crew, the fire progressed at an approximate average daily growth of 41 acres per day. The incident location is situated 60 miles northwest from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.
Current fire behavior on the landscape is minimal, characterized by smoldering, backing, and creeping through two-foot brush fuels. The operation incurred a total cost of $1.1 million while utilizing a Type 4 Incident Commander management structure.
This event unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Nationally, the broader context shows 3,186,142 hectares burned so far in 2026, tracking 42 percent below the two-decade average.
In context
This wildfire has been burning in Arizona for 16 days. So far it has affected roughly 368 acres — about 1.5 km². The perimeter is 100% contained.
In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.
The bigger picture in United States
Across United States, roughly 3,216,670 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 41% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.
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Community reports
Reports from people near the fire · unverified
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Not official emergency information. In an emergency, contact fire services/authorities.
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