VAN Fire (CA)
True color
Fire (SWIR)
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
- 6 Miles SE from Catheys Valley, CA
- Personnel
- 115
- Complexity
- Type 3 Incident
- Fuel
- Tall Grass (2.5 feet)
- Behavior
- Minimal
- Jurisdiction
- Private land
The VAN Fire, which ignited on July 8, 2026, is located six miles southeast of Catheys Valley in Mariposa County, California. Burning through 1,107 acres of private land characterized by 2.5-foot tall grass, the blaze has reached 100 percent containment.
A Type 3 Incident management team oversaw the response, utilizing 115 personnel to address the fire. With minimal fire behavior observed, the incident has been successfully contained at a total cost of $1,000,000.
In context
This wildfire burned in California for 34 days. In total it burned about 1,107 acres — around 4.5 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 3,021,962 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 45% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.
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Community reports
Reports from people near the fire · unverified
Not official emergency information. In an emergency, contact fire services/authorities.
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