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 174 new fires reported nationwide yesterday. Firefighters are currently working to contain 86 uncontained large fires, with 12 new large incidents emerging and 22,085 total personnel assigned to incidents nationwide. So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 50,784 wildfires that have burned 7,818,359 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.
A cold front will move through the northern Plains, with cooler temperatures expected today across much of Montana. The cooler temperatures observed in the Northwest yesterday will warm back above normal today with highs of 80-95°F and minimum relative humidity falling to 8-20%. Above normal temperatures will continue across the rest of the West, with isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms expected to develop across far northeast California and southeast Oregon into the northern Great Basin. Meanwhile, isolated to scattered monsoon thunderstorms will continue in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and northwest New Mexico. Very hot temperatures of 100-110°F will continue across southern Oklahoma and much of north Texas amid relative humidity of 10-20%.
Washington
The Northwest Area remains at Preparedness Level 5, with 31 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 144,832 acres (15% contained) with active fire behavior including uphill runs, group torching, and spotting. The incident management team is also managing the Sisi fire (801 acres; 0% contained).
The Sinlahekin fire near Tonasket stands at 155,209 acres (53% contained) with moderate fire behavior including backing, creeping, and single tree torching.
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 fire behavior such as creeping, backing, and smoldering.
The Three Queens fire (6,705 acres; 13% contained) east of Snoqualmie Pass exhibits group torching, flanking, and backing, with its team also managing the Grand Park 2 fire (168 acres; 67% contained), the King fire (558 acres; 0% contained), and the Goat fire (50 acres; 0% contained). Other active incidents across Washington include Ptarmigan (24,770 acres), Border 2 (7,467 acres), Luna (4,776 acres), High Lava (1,915 acres), and the Colwash fire (38,599 acres).
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Spokane — Smoke, High 86, Low 55
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Seattle — Partly Cloudy, High 78, Low 58
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Yakima — Smoke, High 90, Low 62
Oregon
Oregon continues to battle extensive fire activity under Northwest Area coordination.
The Big Grass fire southwest of Jordan Valley spans 578,637 acres (93% contained), showing moderate fire behavior with 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 93,693 acres (76% contained) with active uphill runs, flanking, and group torching, with the team also managing the Austin fire (5,295 acres) and The Narrows fire (223 acres).
The Hagen fire (59,817 acres; 19% contained) and Paradise fire (7,994 acres; 0% contained) in the Umatilla National Forest are displaying active fire behavior with flanking, backing, and isolated torching.
The Wrights Spring fire near Sprague River covers 54,365 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), Picture Rock (1,228 acres), Fielder Mtn (573 acres), Rosenbaum (483 acres), McCulley (1,201 acres), and the North Pole fire (307 acres).
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Pendleton — Smoke, High 90, Low 54
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Medford — Sunny, High 100, Low 61
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Portland — Smoke, High 93, Low 64
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 Wildland Fire Department jurisdiction, has burned 7,610 acres (74% contained) in timber and brush, displaying moderate flanking, backing, and smoldering while threatening communications infrastructure.
The Timber fire in the Los Padres National Forest southeast of Big Sur has reached 12,115 acres (25% contained) with active fire behavior including uphill runs, single tree torching, and short-range spotting, threatening numerous residences and critical infrastructure.
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Sacramento — Partly Cloudy, High 93, Low 61
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Fresno — Sunny, High 103, Low 72
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Los Angeles — Sunny, High 94, Low 72
Idaho
Idaho manages active incidents across both the Northern Rockies and Great Basin geographic areas.
In northern Idaho, the Upper Smith fire (4,221 acres; 38% contained), Cascade fire (4,100 acres; 50% contained), Moose Mountain fire (3,841 acres; 8% contained), Grotto fire (1,000 acres; 0% contained), Three Links fire (510 acres; 0% contained), and Porcupine fire (130 acres; 0% contained) remain active.
In southern Idaho, the Crooked fire on the Boise National Forest has burned 1,530 acres (0% contained) with active fire behavior, torching, and flanking. Other southern Idaho incidents include North Heglar (1,844 acres), Doublesprings (1,779 acres), and the Shale Butte fire (1,500 acres).
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Boise — Partly Cloudy, High 93, Low 65
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Pocatello — Thunderstorms, High 88, Low 52
Montana
The Northern Rockies Area is at Preparedness Level 3, tracking 19 uncontained large fires.
The Sand Creek fire (32,306 acres; 14% contained) and Bobcat Lakes fire (10,005 acres; 40% contained) near Wisdom are exhibiting moderate fire behavior with flanking, creeping, and torching. The Moose fire southwest of Philipsburg covers 5,965 acres (10% contained).
The Windmill fire in Stillwater County has reached 4,253 acres (72% contained) with minimal backing, creeping, and smoldering. The Deer Creek fire west of Marion covers 949 acres (0% contained) with moderate fire behavior including flanking and isolated torching. Other active fires in the state include Silvertip (6,737 acres), Skillet (3,375 acres), Black Bear (2,126 acres), Sarpy (897 acres), Ant Park (400 acres), Cherry Peak (200 acres), North Fork Lost Horse (118 acres), and Nature Grove (150 acres).
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Missoula — Sunny, High 84, Low 49
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Helena — Smoke, High 83, Low 50
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Great Falls — Smoke, High 80, Low 52
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 (97% contained) with minimal smoldering.
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 (92% contained) with flanking and backing.
The Hawk fire north of Reno has burned 15,051 acres (0% contained) exhibiting extreme fire behavior with wind-driven runs, and the Master fire southwest of Deeth spans 770 acres (50% contained).
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Reno — Sunny, High 92, Low 61
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Las Vegas — Missing Data (MISG), High 107, Low 83
Utah
The Great Basin Area is coordinating several large incidents across Utah.
The Black Canyon fire southwest of Price stands at 3,264 acres (78% contained) with minimal fire behavior, smoldering, and creeping.
Other active fires include Slough Canyon (3,000 acres; 0% contained) exhibiting moderate fire behavior with uphill runs and running, and the Big Mountain fire (400 acres; 0% contained) southwest of Elberta exhibiting active wind-driven runs.
- Salt Lake City — Partly Cloudy, High 93, Low 66
Colorado
The Rocky Mountain Area is 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, 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 creeping, single tree torching, and smoldering. Crews are also managing the Willow fire (7,534 acres; 80% contained) near Leadville.
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Grand Junction — Partly Cloudy, High 94, Low 65
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Pueblo — Sunny, High 94, Low 61
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Denver — Thunderstorms, High 91, Low 62
Arizona
Isolated to scattered monsoon thunderstorms will continue in Arizona, with temperatures reaching 100 to 110°F and relative humidity of 10-20%.
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Flagstaff — Thunderstorms, High 83, Low 55
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Phoenix — Very Hot, High 109, Low 90
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Tucson — Thunderstorms, High 103, Low 78
New Mexico
The Southwest Area is at Preparedness Level 2, coordinating one uncontained large fire in New Mexico.
The Frijoles fire in the Santa Fe National Forest east of Cundiyo has burned 15,226 acres (45% contained) with moderate flanking, backing, and creeping, threatening numerous residences and communication infrastructure.
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Santa Fe — Partly Cloudy, High 92, Low 60
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Albuquerque — Partly Cloudy, High 96, Low 69
Sources: NICC Incident Management Situation Report (Mon Aug 24, 2026), NIFC Fire Information, National Weather Service