Sycan Fire, Oregon — Map & Containment

Sycan Fire (Oregon) — Sentinel-2 true color

Sycan Fire (Oregon) — 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

Location20 miles southwest of Summer Lake, OR

What's burningTall Grass (2.5 feet)

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

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

JurisdictionPrivate land

Cost so far$1.0 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

Summary written on Sep 15, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across 2,185 acres of private land in Lake County, Oregon, the Sycan Fire has maintained an average daily growth of approximately 546 acres per day over four days since its start on September 11, 2026. Located 20 miles southwest of Summer Lake, the active fire is currently managed by a Type 4 Incident Commander leading 60 personnel, with a containment level reaching 90 percent.

Current fire behavior on the scene is characterized as minimal, smoldering, and creeping through tall grass standing 2.5 feet high. The incident carries a Type 4 complexity rating and has accumulated an estimated cost of $1,000,000.

This incident unfolds within a broader national context where 3,216,925 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a figure 41 percent below the two-decade average. Locally, the activity aligns with the region's typical fire season, which traditionally spans from June to October.