diff --git a/pkg/backfill/db/source.go b/pkg/backfill/db/source.go
index 36f8f6d..c448e22 100644
--- a/pkg/backfill/db/source.go
+++ b/pkg/backfill/db/source.go
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ package db
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -184,12 +186,17 @@ func (s *Source) FetchHeight(_ context.Context, height uint64, namespaces []type
 		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("height mismatch in block: got %d want %d", block.Height, height)
 	}
 
+	rawHeader, err := buildMinimalRawHeader(height, block.Time, block.DataHash, meta.BlockHash)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, fmt.Errorf("build minimal raw header at height %d: %w", height, err)
+	}
+
 	hdr := &types.Header{
 		Height:    height,
 		Hash:      meta.BlockHash,
 		DataHash:  block.DataHash,
 		Time:      block.Time,
-		RawHeader: rawBlock,
+		RawHeader: rawHeader,
 	}
 
 	if len(namespaces) == 0 {
@@ -710,6 +717,30 @@ func splitIntoParts(raw []byte, partSize int) [][]byte {
 	return out
 }
 
+// buildMinimalRawHeader synthesizes a small JSON object from the decoded block
+// fields. The backfill source reads raw protobuf, so we build the JSON that
+// consumers (ev-node) expect rather than storing the full protobuf blob.
+func buildMinimalRawHeader(height uint64, t time.Time, dataHash, blockHash []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	obj := map[string]any{
+		"header": map[string]any{
+			"height":    fmt.Sprintf("%d", height),
+			"time":      t.Format(time.RFC3339Nano),
+			"data_hash": hex.EncodeToString(dataHash),
+		},
+		"commit": map[string]any{
+			"height": fmt.Sprintf("%d", height),
+			"block_id": map[string]any{
+				"hash": hex.EncodeToString(blockHash),
+			},
+		},
+	}
+	raw, err := json.Marshal(obj)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("marshal minimal raw header: %w", err)
+	}
+	return raw, nil
+}
+
 func writeTestBlock(path, backend, layout string, height uint64, hash, dataHash []byte, t time.Time, txs [][]byte, partSize int) error {
 	w, err := openWritable(path, backend)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/fetch/celestia_app.go b/pkg/fetch/celestia_app.go
index b1b7de5..b2f45d8 100644
--- a/pkg/fetch/celestia_app.go
+++ b/pkg/fetch/celestia_app.go
@@ -213,9 +213,20 @@ func mapBlockResponse(blockID *cometpb.BlockID, block *cometpb.Block) (*types.He
 	hdr := block.Header
 	t := hdr.Time.AsTime()
 
-	raw, err := json.Marshal(block)
+	// Wrap in envelope matching the canonical shape used by celestia_node and
+	// backfill: {"header": ..., "commit": ...}. The gRPC response does not
+	// include a separate commit object, so we synthesize a minimal one from
+	// the block_id.
+	envelope := map[string]any{
+		"header": hdr,
+		"commit": map[string]any{
+			"height":   fmt.Sprintf("%d", hdr.Height),
+			"block_id": blockID,
+		},
+	}
+	raw, err := json.Marshal(envelope)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("marshal raw header: %w", err)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("marshal raw header envelope: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	return &types.Header{
diff --git a/pkg/fetch/celestia_node.go b/pkg/fetch/celestia_node.go
index f7035bd..ddbfa78 100644
--- a/pkg/fetch/celestia_node.go
+++ b/pkg/fetch/celestia_node.go
@@ -400,10 +400,49 @@ func mapHeader(raw json.RawMessage) (*types.Header, error) {
 		Hash:      []byte(h.Commit.BlockID.Hash),
 		DataHash:  []byte(h.Header.DataHash),
 		Time:      t,
-		RawHeader: []byte(raw),
+		RawHeader: TrimRawHeader([]byte(raw)),
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// heavyHeaderKeys are top-level ExtendedHeader fields that are large and unused
+// by any consumer. Removing them reduces per-header storage from ~87KB to ~2KB.
+//
+//   - dah: Data Availability Header with row/column roots (~64KB, 73%)
+//   - validator_set: full validator public keys and voting power (~14KB, 16%)
+//   - commit.signatures: individual validator signatures (~10KB, 12%)
+var heavyHeaderKeys = []string{"dah", "validator_set"}
+
+// TrimRawHeader removes large, unused fields from a Celestia ExtendedHeader JSON
+// to reduce storage footprint. The remaining ~1KB "header" object plus "commit"
+// metadata are sufficient for all known consumers (ev-node only reads the timestamp).
+func TrimRawHeader(raw []byte) []byte {
+	var obj map[string]json.RawMessage
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &obj); err != nil {
+		return raw
+	}
+
+	for _, key := range heavyHeaderKeys {
+		delete(obj, key)
+	}
+
+	// Keep commit.block_id and commit.height but strip commit.signatures.
+	if commitRaw, ok := obj["commit"]; ok {
+		var commit map[string]json.RawMessage
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(commitRaw, &commit); err == nil {
+			delete(commit, "signatures")
+			if trimmed, err := json.Marshal(commit); err == nil {
+				obj["commit"] = trimmed
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	trimmed, err := json.Marshal(obj)
+	if err != nil {
+		return raw
+	}
+	return trimmed
+}
+
 func mapBlobs(raw json.RawMessage, height uint64) ([]types.Blob, error) {
 	// Celestia returns null/empty for no blobs.
 	if len(raw) == 0 || string(raw) == "null" {
diff --git a/pkg/fetch/celestia_node_test.go b/pkg/fetch/celestia_node_test.go
index 376fa74..a89bb32 100644
--- a/pkg/fetch/celestia_node_test.go
+++ b/pkg/fetch/celestia_node_test.go
@@ -231,6 +231,83 @@ func TestJsonInt64(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestTrimRawHeader(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name            string
+		input           []byte
+		expectedPresent []string // top-level keys that must exist
+		expectedAbsent  []string // top-level keys that must not exist
+		checkCommit     bool     // if true, verify commit internals
+		expectUnchanged bool     // if true, output must equal input
+		expectSmaller   bool     // if true, output must be smaller than input
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "valid header trims heavy fields",
+			input: []byte(`{
+				"header": {"height":"100","time":"2025-01-01T00:00:00Z","chain_id":"test"},
+				"dah": {"row_roots":["AAAA","BBBB"],"column_roots":["CCCC","DDDD"]},
+				"validator_set": {"validators":[{"address":"abc","pub_key":{"type":"ed25519","value":"xxx"}}]},
+				"commit": {"height":"100","block_id":{"hash":"1234"},"signatures":[{"validator_address":"abc","signature":"sig"}]}
+			}`),
+			expectedPresent: []string{"header", "commit"},
+			expectedAbsent:  []string{"dah", "validator_set"},
+			checkCommit:     true,
+			expectSmaller:   true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:            "invalid JSON returned as-is",
+			input:           []byte(`not json`),
+			expectUnchanged: true,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			trimmed := TrimRawHeader(tt.input)
+
+			if tt.expectUnchanged {
+				if string(trimmed) != string(tt.input) {
+					t.Error("expected output to equal input")
+				}
+				return
+			}
+
+			var obj map[string]json.RawMessage
+			if err := json.Unmarshal(trimmed, &obj); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("unmarshal trimmed: %v", err)
+			}
+
+			for _, key := range tt.expectedPresent {
+				if _, ok := obj[key]; !ok {
+					t.Errorf("%s should be preserved", key)
+				}
+			}
+			for _, key := range tt.expectedAbsent {
+				if _, ok := obj[key]; ok {
+					t.Errorf("%s should be removed", key)
+				}
+			}
+
+			if tt.checkCommit {
+				var commit map[string]json.RawMessage
+				if err := json.Unmarshal(obj["commit"], &commit); err != nil {
+					t.Fatalf("unmarshal commit: %v", err)
+				}
+				if _, ok := commit["block_id"]; !ok {
+					t.Error("commit.block_id should be preserved")
+				}
+				if _, ok := commit["signatures"]; ok {
+					t.Error("commit.signatures should be removed")
+				}
+			}
+
+			if tt.expectSmaller && len(trimmed) >= len(tt.input) {
+				t.Errorf("trimmed (%d bytes) should be smaller than original (%d bytes)", len(trimmed), len(tt.input))
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestHexBytes(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		input string