California's Elephant Fire Burns 13,930 Acres Before Full Containment After 15 Days
The Elephant Fire, burning north of Loyalton in Sierra County, California, near Highway 49, started on July 11, 2026, at 2:58 p.m. According to the CAL FIRE incident page, the fire ultimately burned 13,930 acres and was fully contained on July 27 after 15 days. Its cause remains under investigation, and the agency having jurisdiction was the Tahoe National Forest.
The fire grew quickly on its first day: infrared mapping put it at 2,157 acres by 3:50 p.m., and by evening it had reached 2,300 acres with 5 percent containment. It grew to 6,436 acres on July 12 and 12,303 acres on July 13. Firefighters attacked the fire from the ground and the air, with crews and bulldozers building firelines where terrain allowed and aircraft making targeted retardant and water drops.
On July 14, Nevada Incident Management Team 1 was assigned, and all evacuation orders and warnings were dropped that day. The fire inched to 13,930 acres and 98 percent containment by July 25, reached 100 percent containment on July 26, and command then transitioned back to the Tahoe National Forest, which continued to monitor the area.
Related: Lost Fire West of Bakersfield, California, Burns 7,834 Acres; Evacuations Lifted After Two Days
Source: CAL FIRE
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国林务局塔霍国家森林的野外消防员（资料照片），Elephant Fire 的管辖机构为塔霍国家森林。美国农业部林务局摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Wildland firefighters of the Tahoe National Forest, U.S. Forest Service (file photo); the Elephant Fire was under the jurisdiction of the Tahoe National Forest. USDA Forest Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
