Wildfire Report
Daily Tech Reader - Wildfire Edition
Short 📽
National Overview
Wildfire Report — National Overview
The U.S. remains at Preparedness Level 5. Initial attack activity across the country is light, with 113 new fires reported nationwide yesterday. Firefighters are currently working to manage 94 uncontained large fires, with 7 new large incidents emerging and 21,854 total personnel assigned to incidents nationwide. So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 51,434 wildfires that have burned 7,971,399 acres across the United States.
An international contingent from Australia and New Zealand — two 15-member incident management teams and 212 fireline 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) remain 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 and support personnel from the 146th Airlift Wing (CA Air National Guard) are deployed to Redding, CA.
Breezy west-southwest winds with gusts of 35 to 45 mph and relative humidity of 5% to 20% will create elevated fire conditions across the Inland Northwest, northern Rockies, and northern Great Basin. Locally critical conditions are possible from northeast California and northwest Nevada into southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho. Scattered mixed wet and dry thunderstorms are expected across western Montana, central and eastern Idaho, and the central Rockies, with drier storms possible in northeast Washington and north Idaho. Isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms will also extend from the eastern Sierra through the Great Basin to the West Slope, while wetter storms remain more numerous in Colorado and New Mexico east of the Continental Divide and across the western High Plains. Thunderstorms are expected from south Texas to the Southeast ahead of a slow-moving cold front, with activity increasing into the Mid-Atlantic and portions of the Northeast. Dry, seasonable weather will prevail across the Midwest and Great Lakes.
Washington
The Northwest Area remains at Preparedness Level 5, with 33 uncontained large fires active across the geographic area.
The Sinlahekin fire near Tonasket stands at 156,699 acres (56% contained) with extreme fire behavior including crowning, uphill runs, and long-range spotting. The Little Giant fire in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest northwest of Leavenworth has burned 149,863 acres (23% contained) with active flanking, backing, and group torching, with its incident management team also managing the Sisi fire (878 acres; 0% contained).
The Kaiser Canyon fire (138,293 acres; 98% contained) south of Nespelem and the Modrite fire (57,594 acres; 98% contained) southwest of Inchelium continue to show minimal fire behavior with creeping, smoldering, and backing. The Colwash fire west of Mabton has burned 39,073 acres (95% contained) with smoldering.
The Three Queens fire (7,758 acres; 13% contained) east of Snoqualmie Pass exhibits group torching, flanking, and backing (transfer of command to CIMT Northern Rockies Team 2 will occur today), with its team also managing the Grand Park 2 fire (168 acres; 82% contained), King fire (960 acres; 0% contained), Goat fire (178 acres; 0% contained), and the Wonderland Complex (402 acres; 0% contained). Other active incidents across Washington include Ptarmigan (24,770 acres; 55% contained), Border 2 (7,633 acres; 42% contained), Luna (4,776 acres; 31% contained), High Lava (2,771 acres; 25% contained), and the new Electric fire (500 acres; 0% contained).
-
Spokane — Mostly Cloudy, High 84, Low 51
-
Seattle — Mostly Cloudy, High 72, Low 56
-
Yakima — Partly Cloudy, High 85, Low 55
Oregon
Oregon continues to manage extensive fire activity under Northwest Area coordination.
The Big Grass fire southwest of Jordan Valley spans 578,637 acres (93% contained) with active running, flanking, and wind-driven runs. The Rowe Creek Complex south of Fossil stands at 373,927 acres (93% contained) with minimal fire behavior, with transfer of command to CIMT California Team 4 scheduled for tomorrow.
The Grasshopper fire on the Mt. Hood National Forest has burned 93,806 acres (76% contained) with isolated torching, spotting, and creeping, with its team also managing the Austin fire (8,781 acres; 0% contained) and The Narrows fire (281 acres; 0% contained). The Hagen fire (60,372 acres; 33% contained) and Paradise fire (9,027 acres; 13% contained) in the Umatilla National Forest display moderate fire behavior with backing, creeping, and single tree/isolated torching.
The Wrights Spring fire near Sprague River covers 55,133 acres (65% contained). In the Vale District, the Mustang fire has expanded to 13,379 acres (30% contained) and the Mitchell Springs fire covers 3,700 acres (20% contained), both displaying extreme fire behavior with wind-driven runs, running, and flanking. The McCully fire southwest of Baker City has burned 5,971 acres (0% contained) with active uphill runs, torching, and spotting, with its team also managing the North Pole fire (310 acres; 0% contained). Additional incidents include Egypt (4,553 acres; 82% contained), Picture Rock (1,228 acres; 80% contained), Fielder Mtn (573 acres; 93% contained), and Rosenbaum (483 acres; 89% contained).
-
Pendleton — Mostly Cloudy, High 82, Low 47
-
Medford — Partly Cloudy, High 88, Low 55
-
Portland — Mostly Cloudy, High 76, Low 58
California
Northern California and Southern California are both at Preparedness Level 3.
In Northern California, the S 1 Vya fire (managed by the Northern California District, BLM) north of Vya has expanded to 9,524 acres (5% contained) with moderate fire behavior including wind-driven runs, isolated torching, and short-range spotting. The MP18 fire north of Hoopa covers 7,601 acres (92% contained) with minimal creeping, isolated torching, and smoldering.
In Southern California, the Timber fire in the Los Padres National Forest southeast of Big Sur has burned 18,994 acres (21% contained) with flanking, uphill runs, and single tree torching.
-
Sacramento — Partly Cloudy, High 96, Low 66
-
Fresno — Partly Cloudy, High 97, Low 75
-
Los Angeles — Thunderstorms, High 98, Low 75
Idaho
Idaho manages active incidents across both the Northern Rockies and Great Basin geographic areas.
In southern Idaho, the Wildhorse fire north of Kimama has grown to 50,000 acres (10% contained) with extreme fire behavior including wind-driven runs, running, and short-range spotting. The Flint fire southwest of Nampa spans 6,497 acres (0% contained) with running, flanking, and wind-driven runs. The Crooked fire on the Boise National Forest covers 4,927 acres (0% contained) with active torching and flanking. Other southern Idaho incidents include the new Cave fire (1,500 acres; 0% contained) exhibiting extreme running, and Doublesprings (1,779 acres; 35% contained).
In northern Idaho, the Moose Mountain fire (4,789 acres; 8% contained) and Upper Smith fire (4,576 acres; 36% contained) exhibit active fire behavior with group/single tree torching, flanking, and backing. Other northern fires include Cascade (4,100 acres; 50% contained), Grotto (1,000 acres; 0% contained), Three Links (510 acres; 0% contained), the new Silver fire (314 acres; 0% contained) with active group torching, and Porcupine (145 acres; 0% contained).
-
Boise — Smoke, High 95, Low 64
-
Pocatello — Showers, High 93, Low 59
Montana
The Northern Rockies Area is at Preparedness Level 3, tracking 19 uncontained large fires.
The Sand Creek fire (33,690 acres; 11% contained) and Bobcat Lakes fire (10,091 acres; 40% contained) near Wisdom exhibit moderate flanking, backing, and torching, with their team also managing the Moose fire (5,965 acres; 10% contained) southwest of Philipsburg.
The Camp Creek fire in the Flathead National Forest northeast of Seeley Lake has burned 7,240 acres (0% contained) with flanking, backing, and creeping. Other active fires across Montana include Silvertip (6,907 acres; 15% contained), Skillet (3,384 acres; 82% contained), Black Bear (2,126 acres; 22% contained), Deer Creek (993 acres; 25% contained), Sarpy (897 acres; 80% contained), Nature Grove (550 acres; 0% contained), Cherry Peak (173 acres; 68% contained), and the North Fork Lost Horse fire (118 acres; 70% contained).
-
Missoula — Thunderstorms, High 89, Low 50
-
Helena — Thunderstorms, High 89, Low 53
-
Great Falls — Mostly Cloudy, High 93, Low 57
Nevada
The Great Basin Area is at Preparedness Level 4, coordinating 19 uncontained large fires across Nevada and Utah.
The Sombrero fire northwest of Winnemucca spans 20,000 acres (50% contained) with minimal smoldering and creeping. The Hawk fire north of Reno has reached 15,085 acres (93% contained) with smoldering, creeping, and isolated torching. Near Wells, the Oxley fire has grown to 11,384 acres (15% contained) with isolated torching, creeping, and smoldering, while the nearby Forleen fire stands at 667 acres (10% contained).
New large incidents across Nevada include the Calico fire (10,000 acres; 0% contained) southwest of McDermitt with running and wind-driven runs, and the Blue Eagle fire (4,063 acres; 0% contained) northwest of Austin. The McConnell fire east of Orovada covers 5,000 acres (10% contained) with extreme running and uphill runs. Other active incidents include Juniper Ridge (1,200 acres; 30% contained), California Creek (984 acres; 40% contained), Bull Run (455 acres; 75% contained), and Kearny (300 acres; 5% contained).
-
Reno — Partly Cloudy, High 93, Low 64
-
Las Vegas — Partly Cloudy, High 109, Low 87
Utah
The Great Basin Area coordinates active large incidents across Utah.
The Tom Creek fire south of Dugway has grown to 4,859 acres (5% contained) with torching, uphill runs, and backing. The Slough Canyon fire east of Price covers 4,500 acres (0% contained) with running, torching, and spotting. The Black Canyon fire southwest of Price stands at 3,264 acres (87% contained) with minimal smoldering.
- Salt Lake City — Thunderstorms, High 96, Low 72
Wyoming
Wyoming currently has no active uncontained large wildfires reported. Isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms favor portions of the state today amid elevated fire weather conditions.
-
Casper — Sunny, High 92, Low 60
-
Cheyenne — Thunderstorms, High 84, Low 58
Colorado
The Rocky Mountain Area is at Preparedness Level 2, coordinating five uncontained large fires.
The Aspen Acres fire in Custer County southwest of Pueblo spans 102,004 acres (82% contained) with smoldering and creeping.
The Gold Mountain fire (39,721 acres; 87% contained) near Ouray, the Willow fire (7,534 acres; 80% contained) near Leadville, and the Elk fire (7,257 acres; 46% contained) near Lake City continue to exhibit minimal fire behavior with creeping, single tree torching, and smoldering.
-
Grand Junction — Sunny, High 96, Low 68
-
Pueblo — Sunny, High 88, Low 59
-
Denver — Partly Cloudy, High 89, Low 63
Arizona
The Southwest Area is at Preparedness Level 2. Isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms extend across the region with minimum relative humidity of 10% to 25%, while very hot conditions persist across lower desert elevations.
-
Flagstaff — Thunderstorms, High 87, Low 52
-
Phoenix — Very Hot, High 114, Low 91
-
Tucson — Thunderstorms, High 106, Low 79
New Mexico
The Southwest Area coordinates two uncontained large fires in New Mexico.
The Frijoles fire in the Santa Fe National Forest east of Cundiyo has burned 15,288 acres (59% contained) with moderate fire behavior including flanking, creeping, and isolated torching (transfer of command to CIMT Southwest Team 4 occurs today). The Sunset fire southwest of Arabela covers 133 acres (0% contained) with flanking, backing, and creeping.
-
Santa Fe — High 90, Low 59
-
Albuquerque — Sunny, High 95, Low 67
Texas
The Southern Area is at Preparedness Level 3, coordinating significant incident suppression across Texas.
The Ross fire west of Palo Pinto has grown substantially to 80,000 acres (12% contained) in chaparral, grass, and brush, exhibiting moderate fire behavior with flanking, running, and isolated torching, threatening numerous structures and prompting road closures. The Rio Escondido fire east of Waco covers 2,713 acres (80% contained) with minimal fire behavior under active area and road closures.
-
Dallas-Fort Worth — Partly Cloudy, High 100, Low 78
-
Austin — Thunderstorms, High 103, Low 77
-
Waco — Sunny, High 101, Low 75
Oklahoma
The Southern Area is tracking multiple active fires across Oklahoma grasslands and timber.
The Buck Creek fire southeast of Daisy has expanded to 597 acres (25% contained) with active wind-driven runs and crowning. The Bison fire south of Elgin covers 889 acres (50% contained) with extreme wind-driven runs, running, and flanking. Near Binger, the Sugar Creek fire stands at 370 acres (50% contained), while the 2690 fire east of Gracemont spans 900 acres (50% contained); both are exhibiting minimal smoldering while threatening residences.
-
Oklahoma City — Mostly Cloudy, High 94, Low 72
-
Tulsa — Partly Cloudy, High 95, Low 70
Arkansas
The Southern Area is coordinating suppression on newly emerged fire activity in Arkansas.
The new West Glover fire in the Ouachita National Forest has burned 450 acres (50% contained) in timber, displaying moderate fire behavior with running, flanking, and backing.
-
Little Rock — High 96, Low 72
-
Fort Smith — Thunderstorms, High 98, Low 70
Georgia
The Southern Area continues to manage two active incidents in southern rough fuel types across Georgia wildlife refuges.
The Main Trail fire in the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge southeast of Savannah stands at 820 acres (55% contained) with creeping. The Mitchell fire in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge southeast of St. George covers 735 acres (0% contained) with minimal backing and creeping.
-
Atlanta — Thunderstorms, High 90, Low 72
-
Savannah — Thunderstorms, High 91, Low 73
Minnesota
The Eastern Area is at Preparedness Level 2, with three uncontained large fires managed under NIMO Team 1 in the Superior National Forest.
The Bear Trap fire north of Ely spans 30,804 acres (67% contained), the Thumb fire south of Lac la Croix covers 25,015 acres (58% contained), and the Sioux fire northwest of Ely stands at 6,833 acres (79% contained). All three fires are exhibiting minimal fire behavior with smoldering following recent precipitation across the fire area.
-
Duluth — Sunny, High 75, Low 47
-
Minneapolis-St. Paul — Sunny, High 81, Low 57
South Dakota
The Rocky Mountain Area is coordinating containment operations across western South Dakota.
The Rancher fire on the Pine Ridge Agency stands at 503 acres (85% contained) with minimal fire activity.
-
Rapid City — Thunderstorms, High 89, Low 62
-
Sioux Falls — Sunny, High 84, Low 57
Alaska
The Alaska Area is at Preparedness Level 1, coordinating one uncontained large incident.
The Mukluk fire west of Tok covers 7,296 acres (29% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering in timber and hardwood litter, managed by CIMT Alaska Team 1 with evacuations and closures remaining in place.
-
Anchorage — Partly Cloudy, High 58, Low 47
-
Fairbanks — Partly Cloudy, High 57, Low 43
-
Juneau — Showers, High 61, Low 47
Florida
The Southern Area reports completed containment on recent incident activity across Florida.
The Slough fire under Florida Forest Service jurisdiction is fully contained at 300 acres (100% contained).
-
Jacksonville — Thunderstorms, High 91, Low 73
-
Tampa — Thunderstorms, High 90, Low 77
-
Miami Beach — Thunderstorms, High 92, Low 79
Sources: NICC Incident Management Situation Report (Thu Aug 27, 2026), NIFC Fire Information, National Weather Service