Jumping Branch Fire
The Jumping Branch Fire was reported on March 29, 2026 in McDowell County, North Carolina and burned 420 acres. It is 100 percent contained.
- Size
- 420 acres
- Contained
- 100%
- Discovered
- March 29, 2026
- Personnel
- 2
Map
Perimeter mapped September 17, 2026 at 4:56 PM EDT, 417 acres (digitized-topo). Point of origin 35.732, -82.132.
The incident
- Size
- 420 acres
- Containment
- 100%
- Discovered
- March 29, 2026 at 2:24 PM EDT
- Cause
- Undetermined, Undetermined (remarks required), Under investigation
- Location
- 4 Miles NW from Marion, NC
- County
- McDowell County
- State
- North Carolina
- Nearest city reported
- Marion
- Protecting agency
- DFR
- Land ownership at origin
- Private
- Personnel assigned
- 2
- Incident management
- Type 4 IC, Type 4 Incident
- Primary fuel
- Timber (Litter and Understory)
- Estimated cost to date
- $420,000
- Incident type
- Wildfire
- Unique fire identifier
- 2026-NCNCS-260040
- IRWIN identifier
- 071420E7-D578-45AD-9A4A-9BCFB0AECA3F
Growth
Mapped area at the last perimeter of each day, from April 1, 2026 (413 acres) to September 17, 2026 (417 acres). The largest one-day growth was 4 acres, mapped September 17, 2026.
| Day | Acres | Change |
|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2026 | 413 | |
| September 17, 2026 | 417 | +4 |
Weather in the area
This fire is no longer listed as current. The forecast for Old Fort, NC covers the area today.
Nearby
- Old Fort, NC8 miles south of the fire’s origin
- Marion, NC8 miles southeast of the fire’s origin
- West Marion, NC8 miles southeast of the fire’s origin
- Spruce Pine, NC13 miles north of the fire’s origin
- Black Mountain, NC13 miles southwest of the fire’s origin
- Burnsville, NC16 miles northwest of the fire’s origin
North Carolina wildfires today Wildfires of 2026 All current fires
Incident record from the National Interagency Fire Center’s Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS), as the incident’s managers report it; last updated September 17, 2026 at 4:56 PM EDT. Identifier 2026-NCNCS-260040.