Grotto Fire

Idaho County, Idaho · Wildfire

Active Official numbers updated Sep 8, 2026 (5 days ago)
First reported about 7 weeks ago
Metric Now
Size
3,856 acres
Sep 12, 11:00 PM
+7 acres
was 3,849 acres · Sep 8, 11:00 AM
Containment
0%
Sep 12, 11:00 PM
Crew size
1
Sep 12, 11:00 PM
Money spent
$6,000
Sep 12, 11:00 PM
+$3,500
was $2,500 · Aug 31, 3:00 PM

Grotto Fire and other nearby fires

🔥 Where this fire started Mostly contained Partly contained Containment not reported

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Grotto Fire summary

The Grotto Fire is a wildfire near Idaho County, Idaho. It has burned about 3,856 acres (about 3,000 football fields). Crews have boxed in 0% of its edge; the other 100% isn't contained yet. It was first reported about 7 weeks ago. About 1 people are on it, run by a Type 4 IC. We're also tracking 8 other active fires within about 75 miles.

Size
3,856 acres
Containment
0%
Discovered
July 29, 2026 (first reported about 7 weeks ago)
Cause
Not reported

The size and containment above are current as of Saturday, September 12th at 11:00 p.m. CDT.

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Weather & fire-spread conditions

No Red Flag Warning. The National Weather Service hasn't flagged this area for dangerous fire-spread conditions right now.

Hot, dry, and windy weather can help a fire grow; cool, calm, or wet weather helps crews. The tags below rate each day for fire spread — green is calm, red can push a fire.

A general fire-weather guide (wind matters most, then how dry it is, then heat), not a prediction of what this fire will do.

Tonight

45°F · Mostly Cloudy

Wind 6 to 12 mph S · 3% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Dry

Sunday

54°F · Slight Chance Light Rain then Sunny

Wind 12 to 18 mph SSW · 17% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Dry

Sunday Night

33°F · Mostly Cloudy

Wind 7 to 15 mph WSW · 11% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Dry

Monday

56°F · Mostly Sunny

Wind 8 mph WNW · 0% chance of rain

Wind: Calm Heat: Cool Dry

Monday Night

33°F · Mostly Clear

Wind 3 to 9 mph WNW · 0% chance of rain

Wind: Calm Heat: Cool Dry

Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Saturday, September 12th at 11:02 p.m. CDT.

Could this fire move fast?

Weather isn't the only thing that changes how a fire moves. The ground matters too: how steep it is, and what's growing on it. These four numbers are for the exact spot where this fire started, not the whole fire. A big fire crosses a lot of different ground.

20° slope

Fire usually moves faster uphill than downhill. Heat and flame lean uphill, drying out the ground above the fire before it gets there.

Trees with brush underneath (TU2)

A moderate layer of fallen leaves and needles with some shrub, in a wetter climate. Fire moves at a moderate pace, with short flames.

0% tree canopy cover

The more tree cover above a fire, the easier it is for the fire to climb from the ground into the treetops. That's called a crown fire. Crown fires move faster, throw embers farther ahead of the fire, and are harder for crews to stop head-on.

7,166 ft elevation

Elevation by itself doesn't make a fire more or less dangerous. But it shapes the other three numbers here: what grows there, how dry things get, and what the weather does.

Elevation and slope from the USGS 3D Elevation Program; fuel type and canopy cover from LANDFIRE (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), pulled Thursday, September 10th at 3:47 p.m. CDT.

Who's on it

About 1 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Type 4 IC. The government rates it a Type 4 Incident. About $6,000 has been spent on it so far.

The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.

Where to get live updates

We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:

Nearby fires to Grotto Fire

Within about 75 miles we're tracking 8 other active fires, closest first:

See all active fires in Idaho →

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