Wildfire Report
Daily Tech Reader - Wildfire Edition
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National Overview
Wildfire Report — National Overview
The U.S. is at Preparedness Level 5. Initial attack activity across the country is light, with 136 new fires reported nationwide yesterday. Firefighters are currently working to contain 76 uncontained large fires, with eight new large incidents emerging and 24,265 personnel assigned to incidents nationwide. So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 50,077 wildfires that have burned 7,642,082 acres across the United States.
An international contingent from Australia and New Zealand — three 15-member incident management teams and 270 fireline management personnel — remains assigned to support large fires in the Northwest and Great Basin geographic areas. Two hundred forty soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division based out of Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) are deployed in support of wildland fire operations on the Little Giant fire, supported by an assigned Incident Management Organization (IMO). Two MAFFS C-130 airtankers from the 302nd Airlift Wing (Air Reserve, CO) and one from the 152nd Airlift Wing (NV Air National Guard) have been deployed to Klamath Falls, OR, and two MAFFS C-130 airtankers from the 146th Airlift Wing (CA Air National Guard) have been deployed to Redding, CA.
High pressure will continue to amplify over the Western US today, bringing drying and warming conditions, particularly across inland parts of the Pacific Northwest where temperatures are expected to be 10 to 15 degrees above normal. Highs in the 90s and lower 100s are forecast across the western half of the country, possibly reaching the lower 110s over southeast California and western Arizona. Relative humidity levels will drop into the single digits and teens in the afternoon with poor overnight recoveries. Lingering monsoonal moisture will produce scattered afternoon thunderstorms over the Desert Southwest. Gusty afternoon winds are expected throughout the Great Basin, southeast Oregon, and near thunderstorms. Farther east, unrelenting heat continues across the Southern Plains and Southeast with highs from the 90s to 110°F, afternoon gusts of 15–25 mph in Texas, and numerous thunderstorms in the Southeast capable of producing erratic outflow winds and new fire starts.
Washington
The Northwest remains at Preparedness Level 5, with 32 uncontained large fires across the geographic area.
The Little Giant fire in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is 30 miles northwest of Leavenworth, WA, burning 138,475 acres with active flanking, group torching, and spotting while threatening numerous structures and critical infrastructure. The incident management team is also managing the Sisi fire (126 acres).
The Sinlahekin fire, one mile west of Tonasket, WA, stands at 154,298 acres with moderate fire behavior including backing, spotting, and isolated torching.
The Kaiser Canyon fire (138,284 acres) near Nespelem and the Modrite fire (57,594 acres) southwest of Inchelium are exhibiting moderate fire behavior with creeping, backing, and smoldering.
The Three Queens fire (3,849 acres) in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is showing active backing, flanking, and torching, while the Grand Park 2 fire (167 acres) in Mount Rainier National Park exhibits creeping, smoldering, and backing. Other active incidents in the state include the new Balky Hill fire (365 acres), Ptarmigan (24,720 acres), High Lava (1,717 acres), Border 2 (7,296 acres), Luna (4,624 acres), and Prairie Mountain (142 acres).
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Spokane — Partly Cloudy, High 97, Low 66
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Seattle — Mostly Cloudy, High 82, Low 58
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Yakima — Smoke, High 97, Low 71
Oregon
Oregon continues to battle multiple large fire complexes across federal, state, and private lands.
The Big Grass fire in the Vale District spans 578,639 acres southwest of Jordan Valley, exhibiting creeping, torching, and smoldering. The Rowe Creek Complex south of Fossil covers 373,981 acres with minimal creeping, smoldering, and backing.
The Grasshopper fire on the Mt. Hood National Forest southwest of Dufur has burned 92,456 acres with uphill runs, flanking, and group torching. The assigned team is also managing the Austin fire (3,766 acres) and The Narrows fire (174 acres).
The Hagen fire (58,646 acres) and Paradise fire (6,745 acres) in the Umatilla National Forest are displaying active flanking, backing, and isolated torching.
The Wrights Spring fire near Sprague River has burned 54,131 acres with uphill runs, isolated torching, and spotting. Additional major fires under containment operations include Second Flat (105,854 acres), 0587 Shingle (73,183 acres), E Evans Creek Rd (15,580 acres), Bologna (4,509 acres), Egypt (4,553 acres), Picture Rock (1,228 acres), and Fielder Mtn (573 acres).
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Pendleton — Partly Cloudy, High 95, Low 64
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Medford — Mostly Cloudy, High 93, Low 58
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Portland — Cloudy, High 83, Low 61
California
Both Northern California and Southern California geographic areas remain at Preparedness Level 3, each managing one uncontained large incident.
The MP18 fire, located two miles north of Hoopa on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, has burned 7,582 acres and is exhibiting active flanking, backing, and smoldering while threatening residences and communication infrastructure.
The Timber fire in the Los Padres National Forest, four miles southeast of Big Sur, has reached 6,055 acres with moderate flanking, backing, and uphill runs, threatening numerous residences and critical infrastructure.
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Sacramento — Mostly Cloudy, High 89, Low 59
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Fresno — Mostly Cloudy, High 99, Low 70
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Los Angeles — Sunny, High 88, Low 70
Idaho
Idaho continues to manage multiple large incidents across both the Northern Rockies and Great Basin areas.
The Upper Smith fire in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest is burning 3,894 acres near Porthill with running, backing, and isolated torching. The Moose Mountain fire in the Nez Perce - Clearwater National Forest covers 3,249 acres with active flanking, backing, and spotting.
In southern Idaho, the new Crooked fire in the Boise National Forest has burned 250 acres with uphill runs and torching. The North Heglar fire in Cassia County has grown to 1,844 acres with group torching and creeping. Operations also continue on the Doublesprings (1,779 acres), Porcupine (127 acres), and Little Weitas (400 acres) fires.
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Boise — Smoke, High 100, Low 73
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Pocatello — Partly Cloudy, High 98, Low 63
Montana
The Northern Rockies Area is tracking 16 uncontained large fires, with primary activity centered in western and central Montana.
The Sand Creek fire (31,757 acres) and Bobcat Lakes fire (9,910 acres) near Wisdom are exhibiting moderate flanking, backing, and group torching. The Moose fire southwest of Philipsburg covers 5,965 acres, and the Skillet fire in the Flathead National Forest has reached 3,369 acres.
The Windmill fire in Stillwater County has grown to 3,000 acres with wind-driven runs and short crown runs. The new Deer Creek fire near Marion has burned 345 acres with short crown runs and wind-driven activity. Other active fires include Silvertip (6,681 acres), Black Bear (2,126 acres), Sarpy (897 acres), Ant Park (400 acres), Cherry Peak (140 acres), and North Fork Lost Horse (118 acres).
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Missoula — Sunny, High 95, Low 59
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Helena — Sunny, High 91, Low 57
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Great Falls — Sunny, High 87, Low 59
Wyoming
A new large fire, the West Coal Creek fire, was reported in Campbell County 45 miles north of Gillette, burning 350 acres of timber with smoldering behavior and threatening local structures.
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Casper — Sunny, High 98, Low 59
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Cheyenne — Thunderstorms, High 92, Low 60
Nevada
Nevada continues to manage large acreages under Great Basin coordination.
The Bug fire in the Carson City District northwest of Cold Springs covers 93,733 acres with creeping, smoldering, and single tree torching.
The Shoshone fire northeast of Fallon has reached 17,226 acres with active running, flanking, and backing.
The Mouse Meadow fire on the Nellis Air Force Base range spans 52,000 acres with creeping and smoldering behavior.
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Reno — Mostly Cloudy, High 94, Low 65
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Las Vegas — Sunny, High 107, Low 85
Utah
Multiple active incidents are under suppression across Utah in the Great Basin Area.
The Widemouth 2 fire in the Fishlake National Forest southwest of Kanosh stands at 129,741 acres. The Rocky Canyon fire southwest of Henefer covers 16,464 acres with creeping, smoldering, and single tree torching.
The Black Canyon fire in the Manti-La Sal National Forest spans 3,264 acres. Two new large incidents ignited in Utah: the Little Mountain fire in Box Elder County (506 acres) with uphill and wind-driven runs, and the Slough Canyon fire in Uintah and Ouray Agency lands (350 acres) exhibiting running and torching.
- Salt Lake City — Hot, High 100, Low 73
Colorado
Colorado continues suppression efforts across seven uncontained large fires in the Rocky Mountain Area.
The Aspen Acres fire in Custer County southwest of Pueblo covers 102,004 acres with minimal creeping, smoldering, and single tree torching.
The Gold Mountain fire (39,710 acres) and Elk fire (7,257 acres) in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests are exhibiting flanking, backing, and single tree torching. Crews are also managing the Willow fire (7,534 acres) near Leadville and the Post fire (4,343 acres) near Trinidad.
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Grand Junction — Partly Cloudy, High 101, Low 70
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Pueblo — Sunny, High 100, Low 63
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Denver — Thunderstorms, High 98, Low 64
Arizona
Lingering monsoonal moisture across the Desert Southwest continues to bring scattered afternoon thunderstorm potential, though very hot temperatures persist across the lower desert elevations.
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Flagstaff — Thunderstorms, High 86, Low 56
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Phoenix — Very Hot, High 112, Low 90
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Tucson — Thunderstorms, High 107, Low 78
New Mexico
New Mexico is managing one active uncontained large incident in the Southwest Area.
The Frijoles fire in the Santa Fe National Forest east of Cundiyo has grown to 15,186 acres. Fire behavior remains active with uphill runs, isolated torching, and spotting, threatening numerous residences and communication infrastructure with evacuations, road, and trail closures remaining in place.
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Santa Fe — Smoke, High 93, Low 61
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Albuquerque — Sunny, High 96, Low 67
Sources: NICC Incident Management Situation Report (Aug 21, 2026), NIFC Fire Information, National Weather Service