Breaking: Empire Fire reported in Santa Cruz County on July 15

Published Jul 15, 2026 #Empire fire

First discovered: 8:58 a.m. July 15

Initial location: Santa Cruz County, Calif.

Fire type: Wildfire

Fire name: Empire

A new wildfire was reported today at 8:58 a.m. at in Santa Cruz County, California.

Empire Fire has been burning on private land. At this time, there is no data on the containment status of the fire and the cause has yet to be determined.

Source: National Interagency Fire Center