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Rock Fire (California)

Ended · 100% contained · 12,008 acres · started 2026-07-20 · updated 2026-08-08

Rock Fire (California) — Sentinel-2 true color Rock Fire (California) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego) True color Fire (SWIR)
True color (left): as the eye sees it.
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire

Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.

Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).

Quick facts

Location
10 Miles N from Independence, CA
Personnel
271
Complexity
Type 5 Incident
Fuel
Brush (2 feet)
Behavior
Minimal, Smoldering
Jurisdiction
Private land

Averaging 632 acres per day over its 19-day run, the 12,008-acre Rock Fire burning 10 miles north of Independence, California, has successfully reached 100 percent containment. Operating in Inyo County on private land with 271 personnel, the Type 3 Incident was managed by a Type 3 Team, bringing total costs to $15,717,616.

Fire behavior on the incident is currently minimal and smoldering within brush measuring two feet. The fire started on July 20, 2026, and burned through a region where the typical fire season runs from June to October. This incident unfolds during a broader year in which 2,702,782 hectares have burned nationally, leaving the country's burned area 51% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in California for 27 days. In total it burned about 12,008 acres — around 49 km².

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 3,178,795 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 42% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

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