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 148 new fires reported nationwide yesterday. Firefighters are currently working to contain 93 uncontained large fires, with 14 new large incidents emerging and 22,356 total personnel assigned to incidents nationwide. So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 51,295 wildfires that have burned 7,920,585 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.
Isolated to scattered mixed wet and dry thunderstorms are expected from Idaho into western Montana and the northern Great Basin, bringing high-risk significant fire potential. Breezy westerly winds with gusts of 25 to 35 mph amid relative humidity of 10% to 20% and temperatures broadly 10°F to 15°F above normal will develop across the northern half of the West away from the coast, bringing further high-risk significant fire potential to the northern Great Basin, inland Pacific Northwest, and the Sierra Front. In the Greater Four Corners, meager moisture will yield hot temperatures, minimum relative humidity of 10% to 25%, and isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms. Moderate fire potential is increasing across this region and inland Southern California as the monsoon wanes. Across the southern Plains, very hot, dry, and breezy conditions persist across east Texas into Louisiana, resulting in critical conditions.
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 155,491 acres (56% contained) with active fire behavior including uphill runs, group torching, and backing. The Little Giant fire in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest northwest of Leavenworth has burned 147,626 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 are showing minimal fire behavior with smoldering, backing, and creeping. The Colwash fire west of Mabton has burned 39,073 acres (95% contained) with smoldering.
The Three Queens fire (7,285 acres; 13% contained) east of Snoqualmie Pass exhibits group torching, flanking, and backing (transfer of command to CIMT Northern Rockies Team 2 will occur tomorrow), with its team also managing the Grand Park 2 fire (168 acres; 82% contained), King fire (825 acres; 0% contained), Goat fire (178 acres; 0% contained), and the Wonderland Complex (354 acres; 0% contained). Other active incidents across Washington include Ptarmigan (24,770 acres; 55% contained), Border 2 (7,467 acres; 41% contained), Luna (4,776 acres; 0% contained), and the High Lava fire (1,981 acres; 25% contained).
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Spokane — Smoke, High 93, Low 62
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Seattle — Mostly Cloudy, High 78, Low 58
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Yakima — Smoke, High 95, Low 61
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 running, flanking, and wind-driven runs. The Rowe Creek Complex south of Fossil stands at 373,981 acres (92% contained) with minimal fire behavior.
The Grasshopper fire on the Mt. Hood National Forest has burned 93,794 acres (76% contained) with spotting, isolated torching, and creeping, with its team also managing the Austin fire (7,394 acres; 0% contained) and The Narrows fire (262 acres; 0% contained). The Hagen fire (60,146 acres; 33% contained) and Paradise fire (8,633 acres; 0% contained) in the Umatilla National Forest display active fire behavior with flanking, backing, isolated torching, and spotting.
The Wrights Spring fire near Sprague River covers 55,131 acres (65% contained). The McCully fire southwest of Baker City has burned 4,315 acres (0% contained) with extreme fire behavior including short crown runs, torching, and spotting, with its team also managing the North Pole fire (310 acres; 0% contained). New large starts in the Vale District include the Mustang fire (5,000 acres; 0% contained) exhibiting wind-driven runs and flanking, and the Mitchell Springs fire (2,500 acres; 0% contained). Additional incidents include 0587 Shingle (73,183 acres; 95% contained), Egypt (4,553 acres; 82% contained), Picture Rock (1,228 acres; 75% contained), Fielder Mtn (573 acres; 93% contained), and the Rosenbaum fire (483 acres; 89% contained).
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Pendleton — Smoke, High 91, Low 57
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Medford — Partly Cloudy, High 92, Low 58
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Portland — Mostly Cloudy, High 82, Low 61
California
Northern California and Southern California are both at Preparedness Level 3.
In Northern California, the new S 1 Vya fire (managed by the Northern California District, BLM) north of Vya has burned 5,700 acres (0% contained) with extreme fire behavior including wind-driven runs, short-range spotting, and uphill runs. The MP18 fire north of Hoopa covers 7,601 acres (91% 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 expanded to 16,368 acres (27% contained) with flanking, uphill runs, and single tree torching.
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Sacramento — Sunny, High 97, Low 64
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Fresno — Sunny, High 103, Low 73
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Los Angeles — Sunny, High 98, Low 75
Idaho
Idaho manages active incidents across both the Northern Rockies and Great Basin geographic areas.
In northern Idaho, the Moose Mountain fire (4,591 acres; 8% contained) and Upper Smith fire (4,552 acres; 36% contained) show active 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), and the Porcupine fire (135 acres; 0% contained).
In southern Idaho, the newly emerged Wildhorse fire north of Kimama has burned 21,862 acres (0% contained) with wind-driven runs and flanking. 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 3,164 acres (0% contained) with active torching and flanking. Other southern Idaho incidents include Tuana Gulch (3,253 acres; 100% contained), North Heglar (1,844 acres; 100% contained), and Doublesprings (1,779 acres; 35% contained).
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Boise — Thunderstorms, High 97, Low 69
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Pocatello — Thunderstorms, High 92, Low 55
Montana
The Northern Rockies Area is at Preparedness Level 3, tracking 18 uncontained large fires.
The Sand Creek fire (33,088 acres; 14% contained) and Bobcat Lakes fire (10,030 acres; 40% contained) near Wisdom exhibit moderate flanking, creeping, and torching, with their team also managing the Moose fire (5,965 acres; 10% contained) southwest of Philipsburg. Precipitation occurred over these fire areas yesterday.
The new Camp Creek fire in the Flathead National Forest northeast of Seeley Lake has reached 6,436 acres (0% contained) with short crown runs, uphill runs, and spotting. Other active fires in the state include Silvertip (6,847 acres; 15% contained), Skillet (3,384 acres; 82% contained), Black Bear (2,126 acres; 22% contained), Deer Creek (969 acres; 0% contained), Sarpy (897 acres; 80% contained), Nature Grove (297 acres; 0% contained), Cherry Peak (173 acres; 46% contained), and the North Fork Lost Horse fire (118 acres; 70% contained).
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Missoula — Thunderstorms, High 93, Low 55
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Helena — Thunderstorms, High 89, Low 54
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Great Falls — Smoke, High 90, Low 58
Nevada
The Great Basin Area is at Preparedness Level 4, coordinating extensive fire activity across Nevada.
The Hawk fire north of Reno has reached 15,067 acres (85% contained) with smoldering, creeping, and isolated torching. The new Sombrero fire northwest of Winnemucca spans 11,000 acres (20% contained). Near Wells, the Oxley fire has grown to 9,500 acres (5% contained) with running, flanking, and short crown runs, while the nearby Forleen fire stands at 633 acres (0% contained).
Other new large incidents across Nevada include California Creek (3,500 acres; 10% contained) south of Mountain City, Juniper Ridge (1,200 acres; 10% contained) northeast of Winnemucca, McConnell (1,100 acres; 0% contained) east of Orovada, Bull Run (455 acres; 50% contained), and the Kearny fire (300 acres; 0% contained) north of Ely displaying extreme fire behavior with wind-driven runs and group torching. The Master fire southwest of Deeth stands at 446 acres (95% contained).
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Reno — Sunny, High 94, Low 62
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Las Vegas — Sunny, High 110, Low 87
Utah
The Great Basin Area is coordinating large incidents across Utah.
The Slough Canyon fire east of Price covers 4,200 acres (0% contained) with running, torching, and spotting. The new Tom Creek fire south of Dugway has reached 3,860 acres (0% contained) with active wind-driven runs and torching. The Black Canyon fire southwest of Price stands at 3,264 acres (87% contained) with minimal smoldering.
- Salt Lake City — Partly Cloudy, High 95, Low 70
Wyoming
Wyoming currently has no active uncontained large wildfires reported. Isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms favor northwest Wyoming today amid warmer-than-normal conditions.
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Casper — Sunny, High 87, Low 55
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Cheyenne — Thunderstorms, High 79, Low 54
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 (77% contained) with minimal fire behavior, creeping, smoldering, and single tree torching.
The Gold Mountain fire (39,718 acres; 87% contained) near Ouray, the Willow fire (7,534 acres; 80% contained) near Leadville, and the Elk fire (7,257 acres; 33% contained) near Lake City continue to display minimal fire behavior with creeping, torching, and smoldering.
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Grand Junction — Sunny, High 95, Low 65
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Pueblo — Thunderstorms, High 88, Low 58
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Denver — Thunderstorms, High 86, Low 59
Arizona
Meager moisture across the Southwest yields hot temperatures and minimum relative humidity of 10% to 25%, with isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms. Very hot conditions continue across lower desert elevations.
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Flagstaff — Thunderstorms, High 88, Low 53
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Phoenix — Very Hot, High 116, Low 90
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Tucson — Very Hot, High 109, Low 79
New Mexico
The Southwest Area is at Preparedness Level 2, tracking three uncontained large fires.
The Frijoles fire in the Santa Fe National Forest east of Cundiyo has burned 15,252 acres (52% contained) with single tree torching, flanking, and creeping; transfer of command to CIMT Southwest Team 4 will occur tomorrow.
The Rabbit Ear East fire southeast of Clayton stands at 1,700 acres (90% contained) with smoldering. The Sunset fire southwest of Arabela covers 111 acres (0% contained) with backing, flanking, and creeping.
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Santa Fe — Thunderstorms, High 91, Low 58
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Albuquerque — High 97, Low 65
Sources: NICC Incident Management Situation Report (Wed Aug 26, 2026), NIFC Fire Information, National Weather Service