Clouds and smoke near the Rock Fire in the Eastern Sierra region of California, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.

The Rock Fire in the Eastern Sierra has advanced into the John Muir Wilderness, officials told SFGATE by phone Thursday. The fire started on Monday between Big Pine and Independence, near Highway 395, and raced across the Owens Valley, burning through terrain thick with sagebrush and volcanic rock. It is now pushing higher into the mountains and up the Eastern Sierra escarpment.

In the John Muir Wilderness, flames are scaling a steep drainage that flanks Goodale Creek to reach elevations higher than 8,000 feet. The fire is burning through rugged terrain east of the Sierra Nevada crest, Kings Canyon National Park and the Pacific Crest Trail. 

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This terrain is “super hilly, super steep,” Ben Cossel, a Forest Service spokesperson, told SFGATE on Thursday morning. The U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire are leading fire suppression efforts on the Rock Fire through a unified incident command. The Bureau of Land Management is also working on the fire. 

It’s not uncommon for fires to burn in this area, Cossel said. Even so, the terrain is extremely challenging, which is why officials are leaning heavily on aerial resources to stop the flames. 

The Rock Fire has burned 11,645 acres, as of Thursday morning, according to incident command. It is 18% contained, with containment lines abutting Highway 395, on the fire’s eastern edge. It’s continuing to advance on its western flank, moving into the High Sierra. 

The Rock Fire is exhibiting intense and erratic behavior, due to strong,........

© SFGate