Garnet Fire
The Garnet fire ignited in California’s Sierra National Forest on August 24, 2025 as the result of a lightning strike. Thousands of firefighters are working to put out the flames of the fire, which is burning northeast of Fresno.
During the following two weeks after igniting, the Garnet fire grew to over 35,000 acres in size. Then on September 7, 2025, the fire scorched 10,000 acres in one day. The smoke from the Garnet Fire filled the skies above the Intermountain West, leading to hazardous air quality and dense smoke conditions for portions of California and Nevada.
Later that week, the growing Garnet fire encroached upon the McKinley Grove within Sierra National Forest, which is home to giant sequoia trees. Firefighters ran sprinklers non-stop to deter the flames from reaching the sequoias, and smokejumpers climbed the trees to extinguish embers in the branches and leaves.
Throughout mid-September, ample atmospheric moisture and favorable weather allowed firefighting efforts to make considerable progress on the containment of the fire.
As of October 6, 2025, the Garnet fire is 59,844 acres in size and is 99% contained. For more information, visit the InciWeb page or the Cal Fire page on the fire.
Satellite imagery of this event:
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