Wildfire Report
Daily Tech Reader - Wildfire Edition
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National Overview
National Overview
The U.S. is at Preparedness Level 5. Initial attack activity across the country is light, with 113 new fires reported nationwide yesterday. Firefighters are currently working to contain 78 uncontained large fires, with 11 new large incidents emerging and 22,751 total personnel assigned to incidents nationwide. So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 50,239 wildfires that have burned 7,651,605 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 Force Reserve, CO) and one from the 152nd Airlift Wing (NV Air National Guard) are deployed to Klamath Falls, OR, while two MAFFS C-130 airtankers from the 146th Airlift Wing (CA Air National Guard) are deployed to Redding, CA.
An upper trough crossing the Pacific Northwest, Northern Great Basin, and Northern Rockies today will bring scattered, fast-moving thunderstorms with little rainfall alongside breezy west to southwesterly winds. This weather will produce critical fire conditions across parts of northern and eastern Washington, the northern Idaho Panhandle, eastern Oregon, northeast California, and northwest Nevada. Highs in the low to mid-90s are forecast across the Intermountain West, reaching 100 to 115°F over southeast California and southern Arizona, coinciding with relative humidity levels of 15 to 25% (dropping near 10% in the Desert Southwest). Farther east, persistent heat will grip the Southern Plains with highs from the 90s to 110°F and relative humidity in the mid-teens to mid-20s, while scattered mixed wet/dry thunderstorms develop across the Greater Four Corners, Great Basin, and from the Southern Plains into the Lower Mississippi Valley.
Washington
The Northwest Area remains at Preparedness Level 5, with 29 uncontained large fires active across the geographic area.
The Little Giant fire in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest 30 miles northwest of Leavenworth has burned 140,379 acres (15% contained) with active flanking, group torching, and spotting. The incident management team is also managing the Sisi fire (578 acres).
The Sinlahekin fire near Tonasket stands at 154,298 acres (47% contained) with backing, isolated torching, and spotting.
The Kaiser Canyon fire (138,284 acres; 98% contained) south of Nespelem and the Modrite fire (57,594 acres; 98% contained) southwest of Inchelium are showing minimal smoldering, creeping, and backing.
The Three Queens fire (3,849 acres; 2% contained) east of Snoqualmie Pass exhibits group torching, spotting, and uphill runs, with its team also managing the Grand Park 2 fire (167 acres; 67% contained) and the new King fire (459 acres). Other active incidents across Washington include Ptarmigan (24,770 acres), Border 2 (7,396 acres), Luna (4,670 acres), High Lava (1,717 acres), and Balky Hill (397 acres).
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Spokane — Partly Cloudy, High 95, Low 59
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Seattle — Rain, High 75, Low 58
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Yakima — Showers, High 94, Low 59
Oregon
Oregon continues to battle extensive fire activity across federal, state, and private lands under Northwest Area coordination.
The Big Grass fire southwest of Jordan Valley spans 578,634 acres (89% contained), showing creeping, torching, and smoldering. The Rowe Creek Complex south of Fossil stands at 373,981 acres (91% contained) with minimal backing, creeping, and smoldering.
The Grasshopper fire on the Mt. Hood National Forest has burned 93,365 acres (76% contained) with active uphill runs, flanking, and group torching, with the team also managing the Austin fire (4,492 acres) and The Narrows fire (195 acres).
The Hagen fire (59,107 acres; 19% contained) and Paradise fire (7,028 acres; 0% contained) in the Umatilla National Forest are displaying active flanking, group torching, and spotting.
The Wrights Spring fire near Sprague River covers 54,276 acres (55% contained) with creeping, isolated torching, and short-range spotting. Additional incidents include Second Flat (105,854 acres), 0587 Shingle (73,183 acres), Egypt (4,553 acres), Bologna (4,436 acres), Picture Rock (1,228 acres), Cottonwood (722 acres, 100% contained), Fielder Mtn (573 acres), and Rosenbaum (483 acres).
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Pendleton — Partly Cloudy, High 90, Low 51
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Medford — Sunny, High 89, Low 58
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Portland — Mostly Cloudy, High 80, Low 61
California
Northern California and Southern California are both at Preparedness Level 3, each managing one uncontained large fire.
The MP18 fire, located two miles north of Hoopa on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, has burned 7,610 acres (74% contained) in timber and brush, displaying moderate flanking, backing, and smoldering while threatening residences and communications infrastructure.
The Timber fire in the Los Padres National Forest southeast of Big Sur has reached 6,669 acres (29% contained) with active uphill runs, backing, and short-range spotting, threatening numerous residences and critical infrastructure.
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Sacramento — Sunny, High 94, Low 61
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Fresno — Sunny, High 100, Low 72
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Los Angeles — Sunny, High 93, Low 70
Idaho
Idaho manages active incidents across both the Northern Rockies and Great Basin geographic areas.
In northern Idaho, the Cascade fire (4,100 acres), Upper Smith fire (3,906 acres), Moose Mountain fire (3,707 acres), Grotto fire (1,000 acres), Three Links fire (510 acres), Little Weitas fire (400 acres), and Porcupine fire (130 acres) remain active.
In southern Idaho, the Crooked fire on the Boise National Forest has grown to 1,038 acres with short-range spotting, uphill runs, and flanking. Other southern Idaho incidents include North Heglar (1,844 acres) and Doublesprings (1,779 acres).
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Boise — Mostly Cloudy, High 97, Low 65
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Pocatello — Showers, High 92, Low 57
Montana
The Northern Rockies Area is tracking 19 uncontained large fires, with heavy activity across western and central Montana.
The Sand Creek fire (31,757 acres; 7% contained) and Bobcat Lakes fire (9,925 acres; 40% contained) near Wisdom are exhibiting flanking, creeping, backing, and group torching. The Moose fire southwest of Philipsburg covers 5,965 acres.
The Windmill fire in Stillwater County has reached 4,194 acres (10% contained) with active wind-driven runs, spotting, and group torching. The Deer Creek fire west of Marion covers 632 acres with uphill runs. Other active fires in the state include Silvertip (6,681 acres), Skillet (3,369 acres), Black Bear (2,126 acres), Sarpy (897 acres), Mt HWY 80 (540 acres, 100% contained), Ant Park (400 acres), Cherry Peak (140 acres), and North Fork Lost Horse (118 acres).
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Missoula — Showers, High 93, Low 55
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Helena — Showers, High 89, Low 56
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Great Falls — Thunderstorms, High 90, Low 61
Wyoming
The West Coal Creek fire in Campbell County, 45 miles north of Gillette, has burned 896 acres (50% contained) in timber, showing minimal smoldering behavior while threatening structures.
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Casper — Thunderstorms, High 91, Low 60
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Cheyenne — Thunderstorms, High 84, Low 59
Nevada
Nevada continues to manage significant acreage under Great Basin coordination.
The Bug fire in the Carson City District northwest of Cold Springs stands at 93,733 acres (94% contained) with creeping, smoldering, and isolated torching.
The Mouse Meadow fire on the Nellis Air Force Base range spans 52,000 acres (80% contained) with creeping and smoldering.
The Shoshone fire northeast of Fallon has burned 24,513 acres (36% contained) with running, flanking, and backing.
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Reno — Sunny, High 93, Low 61
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Las Vegas — Sunny, High 108, Low 85
Utah
The Great Basin Area is coordinating several large incidents across Utah.
The Rocky Canyon fire southwest of Henefer covers 16,464 acres (96% contained). The Black Canyon fire southwest of Price stands at 3,264 acres (78% contained) with flanking, backing, and single tree torching.
Other active fires include Slough Canyon (770 acres), the new Salt Wells fire (585 acres; 60% contained) southwest of Tremonton, and the fully contained Little Mountain fire (403 acres).
- Salt Lake City — High 96, Low 71
Colorado
The Rocky Mountain Area is coordinating six uncontained large fires.
The Aspen Acres fire in Custer County southwest of Pueblo spans 102,004 acres (77% contained) with creeping and smoldering.
The Gold Mountain fire (39,718 acres; 87% contained) near Ouray and the Elk fire (7,257 acres; 33% contained) near Lake City in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests show flanking, backing, and single tree torching. Crews are also managing the Willow fire (7,534 acres; 80% contained) near Leadville.
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Grand Junction — Thunderstorms, High 95, Low 68
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Pueblo — Sunny, High 97, Low 63
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Denver — Thunderstorms, High 93, Low 64
Arizona
Hot and dry conditions prevail across Arizona with scattered thunderstorm potential over the higher terrain. Relative humidity levels will drop near 10% in the Desert Southwest, accompanied by high temperatures ranging from 100 to 115°F.
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Flagstaff — Thunderstorms, High 86, Low 57
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Phoenix — Very Hot, High 113, Low 91
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Tucson — Thunderstorms, High 107, Low 79
New Mexico
The Southwest Area is coordinating two uncontained large fires in New Mexico.
The Frijoles fire in the Santa Fe National Forest east of Cundiyo has burned 15,208 acres (38% contained) with active uphill runs, flanking, and single tree torching, threatening numerous residences and communication infrastructure.
The new Cooper fire northeast of Roswell in the Capitan District covers 575 acres (60% contained) in grass, exhibiting active fire behavior and threatening residences.
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Santa Fe — Thunderstorms, High 93, Low 61
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Albuquerque — Thunderstorms, High 95, Low 68
Sources: NICC Incident Management Situation Report (Aug 22, 2026), NIFC Fire Information, National Weather Service