Mouse Meadow Fire, Nevada — Map & Containment

Mouse Meadow Fire (Nevada) — Sentinel-2 true color

Mouse Meadow 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

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location35 miles southwest of Rachel, NV

What's burningTimber (Grass and Understory)

How it's behavingMinimalCreeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.Smoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.

ComplexityType 3 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionFederal land

Cost so far$1.3 million

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

After burning for 92 days across Nye County, Nevada, the Mouse Meadow Fire located 35 miles southwest of Rachel has ended. Over its lengthy duration since starting on July 24, 2026, the federal incident grew at an approximate average rate of 565 acres per day, ultimately scorching a total of 52,000 acres of timber, grass, and understory before achieving full containment.

During its final stages, fire behavior on the Type 3 incident was characterized as minimal, creeping, and smoldering. A small contingent of just 5 personnel managed the response to the remote blaze, bringing the final suppression and management cost to about $1.3 million, specifically 1,344,096 USD.

This fire occurred during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. On a broader scale, the wider context of the 2026 season shows that 3,455,585 hectares have burned so far across the country, marking a figure that is 37% below the two-decade average.