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. Yesterday, 117 new fires were reported nationwide, including four new large fires. Firefighters are currently working to contain 72 uncontained large fires, with 25,248 personnel assigned to incidents nationwide. So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 49,608 wildfires that have burned 7,510,237 acres across the United States.
An international contingent from Australia and New Zealand — three 15-member incident management teams and 196 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 Force 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 with highs generally in the 90s to lower 100s, and lower 110s possible in southeast California and western Arizona. Relative humidity levels will drop into the single digits and teens during the afternoon with poor overnight recoveries. Scattered afternoon thunderstorms will develop over the Desert Southwest due to lingering monsoonal moisture, while winds across most of the West remain light and terrain-driven outside of thunderstorm outflows. Farther east, unrelenting heat continues across the Southern Plains and Southeast with highs from the 90s to 105°F, afternoon gusts of 15–25 mph in Texas, and numerous thunderstorms in the Southeast that may trigger erratic outflow winds and new fire starts.
Washington
The Northwest remains at Preparedness Level 5, with 33 uncontained large fires across the geographic area.
The Little Giant fire in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is thirty miles northwest of Leavenworth, WA, burning 137,593 acres with active flanking, backing, and group torching, threatening numerous structures and critical infrastructure.
The Sinlahekin fire, one mile west of Tonasket, WA, stands at 154,250 acres with moderate fire behavior including backing, creeping, and isolated torching.
The Kaiser Canyon fire (138,292 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 in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest is showing active backing, flanking, and group torching, while the Grand Park 2 fire in Mount Rainier National Park exhibits creeping and smoldering. Additional active incidents include the Ptarmigan, High Lava, Luna, and Border 2 fires.
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Spokane — Sunny, High 94, Low 59
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Seattle — Partly Cloudy, High 82, Low 59
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Yakima — Sunny, High 97, Low 66
Oregon
Oregon continues to manage massive fire complexes across multiple districts and national forests.
The Big Grass fire in the Vale District spans 579,007 acres southwest of Jordan Valley, exhibiting creeping, torching, and smoldering. The Rowe Creek Complex south of Fossil covers 373,981 acres with minimal creeping and smoldering.
The Grasshopper fire on the Mt. Hood National Forest is fourteen miles southwest of Dufur, burning 92,408 acres with active backing, flanking, and single tree torching. The assigned incident management team also oversees the Austin and The Narrows fires.
The Hagen fire (58,153 acres) and Paradise fire (6,129 acres) in the Umatilla National Forest are displaying active fire behavior with backing, flanking, and group torching.
The Wrights Spring fire near Sprague River has burned 54,131 acres with uphill runs, isolated torching, and spotting. Other major incidents being contained include the Second Flat (105,854 acres), 0587 Shingle (73,183 acres), Coyote (17,459 acres), and E Evans Creek Rd (15,580 acres) fires.
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Pendleton — Smoke, High 94, Low 60
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Medford — Sunny, High 101, Low 64
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Portland — Partly Cloudy, High 89, Low 63
California
Both Northern California and Southern California geographic areas are at Preparedness Level 3, each tracking one uncontained large fire.
The MP18 fire, located two miles north of Hoopa on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, has burned 7,294 acres and is exhibiting active fire behavior with backing, flanking, and spotting while threatening residences and communications infrastructure.
The Timber fire in the Los Padres National Forest, four miles southeast of Big Sur, has reached 5,626 acres with moderate flanking, backing, and uphill runs, threatening residences and critical infrastructure.
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Sacramento — Partly Cloudy, High 92, Low 60
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Fresno — Sunny, High 102, Low 72
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Los Angeles — Partly Cloudy, High 88, Low 70
Idaho
Idaho carries several active large incidents across the Northern Rockies and Great Basin areas.
The Upper Smith fire in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest is burning 3,697 acres near Porthill with running, backing, and creeping behavior. The Moose Mountain fire in the Nez Perce - Clearwater National Forest covers 3,113 acres with active flanking, spotting, and uphill runs.
The new North Heglar fire in Cassia County has burned 500 acres with active running and torching, prompting evacuations. Suppression operations also continue on the Doublesprings, Porcupine, and Little Weitas fires.
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Boise — Smoke, High 100, Low 69
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Pocatello — Sunny, High 97, Low 60
Montana
The Northern Rockies Area is tracking 15 uncontained large fires, with heavy activity centered in western Montana.
The Sand Creek fire (31,667 acres) and Bobcat Lakes fire (9,892 acres) near Wisdom are exhibiting moderate fire behavior with smoldering, creeping, and torching.
The Moose fire southwest of Philipsburg covers 5,965 acres with backing, creeping, and isolated torching. The Skillet fire in Flathead National Forest has burned 3,364 acres with creeping, smoldering, and backing.
Two new large fires emerged: the Windmill fire in Stillwater County (1,000 acres, active running) and the Cherry Peak fire in Lolo National Forest (130 acres, flanking and torching). Other active incidents include Silvertip, Black Bear, Sarpy, and Ant Park.
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Missoula — Smoke, High 93, Low 56
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Helena — Sunny, High 91, Low 54
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Great Falls — Smoke, High 91, Low 57
Wyoming
Fire activity in Wyoming remains monitored under regional coordination as dry conditions and warm temperatures persist across the area.
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Casper — Smoke, High 94, Low 56
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Cheyenne — Sunny, High 89, Low 60
Nevada
Nevada continues to manage significant acreage in the Great Basin Area.
The Bug fire in the Carson City District northwest of Cold Springs spans 93,733 acres with moderate smoldering and torching.
The Shoshone fire northeast of Fallon has grown to 15,008 acres with active running, flanking, and backing.
The Mouse Meadow fire on the Nellis Air Force Base range covers 52,000 acres with minimal creeping and smoldering.
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Reno — Partly Cloudy, High 98, Low 64
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Las Vegas — Sunny, High 109, Low 87
Utah
Fire activity in Utah accounts for multiple large incidents in the Great Basin Area.
The Widemouth 2 fire in the Fishlake National Forest southwest of Kanosh has burned 129,741 acres with minimal torching, creeping, and smoldering.
The Rocky Canyon fire southwest of Henefer covers 16,464 acres with active single tree torching, backing, and creeping.
The Black Canyon fire in the Manti-La Sal National Forest spans 3,264 acres, exhibiting flanking, backing, and single tree torching.
- Salt Lake City — Sunny, High 101, Low 75
Colorado
Colorado is managing six uncontained large fires in the Rocky Mountain Area.
The Aspen Acres fire in Custer County southwest of Pueblo has burned 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 suppressing the Willow fire (7,534 acres) near Leadville and the Post fire (4,343 acres) near Trinidad.
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Grand Junction — Sunny, High 101, Low 69
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Pueblo — Sunny, High 97, Low 62
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Denver — Sunny, High 93, Low 64
Arizona
Lingering monsoonal moisture across the Southwest brings scattered afternoon thunderstorms and elevated humidity, though very hot temperatures persist across the low deserts.
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Flagstaff — Thunderstorms, High 87, Low 57
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Phoenix — Very Hot, High 107, Low 89
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Tucson — Very Hot, High 104, Low 77
New Mexico
New Mexico carries one uncontained large fire in the Southwest Area.
The Frijoles fire in the Santa Fe National Forest east of Cundiyo has burned 13,120 acres. The fire is displaying extreme fire behavior with crowning, group torching, and long-range spotting, threatening numerous residences and communication infrastructure with evacuations and closures in effect.
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Santa Fe — Thunderstorms, High 91, Low 56
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Albuquerque — Thunderstorms, High 95, Low 67
Sources: NICC Incident Management Situation Report (Aug 20, 2026), NIFC Fire Information, National Weather Service