Ridge Fire, Gorman, California — Map & Containment

Ridge Fire, Gorman, California — Sentinel-2 true color

Ridge Fire, Gorman, California — 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

Location25 miles south of Bakersfield, CA

What's burningTall Grass (2.5 feet)

How it's behavingMinimal, Short-range Spotting, Uphill Runs

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

JurisdictionPrivate land

Cost so far$5.8 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 75 days across 1,134 acres of private tall grass near Gorman, California, located 25 miles south of Bakersfield in Los Angeles County, the Ridge Fire has officially ended. The incident, which began on August 7, 2026, saw an average daily growth of about 15 acres per day while spreading through 2.5-foot tall grass with minimal fire behavior, short-range spotting, and uphill runs. Fire suppression efforts for this Type 3 Incident involved 6 personnel and ultimately reached 100 percent containment, bringing total costs to about $5.8 million.

The Ridge Fire unfolded during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. On a broader scale, the wildfire added to a national landscape where 3,430,104 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 37 percent below the two-decade average.