Snake Mountain Fire, Talihina, Oklahoma

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

Location3 miles east of Nashoba, OK

CauseHuman

What's burningTimber (Litter and Understory)

How it's behavingMinimalCreeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.Backing — Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.

ComplexityType 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionPrivate land

Cost so far$32,007

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

Burning across 703 acres of private timber land near Talihina, Oklahoma, the Snake Mountain Fire in Pushmataha County burned for ninety days after starting on August 13, 2026. Located three miles east of Nashoba, the human-caused fire ultimately required a Type 4 incident response involving 18 personnel, with operations concluding as the incident reached one hundred percent containment. Throughout its lengthy duration, the fire exhibited an approximate average daily growth of 8 acres per day while consuming timber litter and understory fuels.

By the time operations ended, fire behavior had diminished to minimal, creeping, and backing activity. The incident incurred a total cost of about $32,000, specifically totaling 32,007 USD. The fire occurred within a typical regional fire season that spans from June to October.

The broader landscape reflects a quieter year for fire activity overall. Across the country, 3,513,072 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that sits thirty-six percent below the two-decade average.