Wildfire Report
Daily Tech Reader - Wildfire Edition
National Overview
Wildfire Report — National Overview
The U.S. is at Preparedness Level 3.
Initial attack activity across the country is light, with 74 new fires reported nationwide yesterday.
Firefighters are currently working to manage 58 uncontained large fires, with 2 new large incidents emerging, 1 large fire contained, and 12,965 total personnel assigned to incidents nationwide.
So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 54,136 wildfires that have burned 8,423,367 acres across the United States.
On September 9, a contract firefighter was fatally injured while assigned to the Austin incident in Oregon; the firefighting community expresses its condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.
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.
Dry and breezy westerly winds continue across parts of Wyoming, with wind gusts to 40–50 mph amid minimum relative humidity of 10–20%, creating elevated to locally critical conditions.
Breezy winds are also expected for much of the Great Basin and Four Corners, extending into the Central Rockies amid relative humidity lowering to 5–20%, bringing moderate significant fire potential.
Well above normal temperatures near 100°F will persist across the Plains and Midwest, with moderate significant fire potential in the southern Plains.
A cold front moving southward into the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms with localized relief, alongside the chance of new ignitions.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will also extend from the Mid-Mississippi Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, while mostly dry conditions prevail across the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Washington
The Northwest Area is operating at Preparedness Level 3, coordinating 21 uncontained large fires across the region.
The Little Giant fire in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest stands at 172,401 acres (81% contained) with moderate fire behavior including flanking, backing, and torching under CIMT Northwest Team 12. The team is also managing the Sisi fire, which covers 2,812 acres (11% contained) with active flanking, backing, and torching. The Sinlahekin fire near Tonasket spans 166,021 acres (76% contained) with minimal smoldering, with transfer of command from CIMT Southwest Team 3 back to the local unit scheduled for today.
The Three Queens fire east of Snoqualmie Pass stands at 9,518 acres (14% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering under CIMT Northwest Team 2, which is also managing the King fire (3,217 acres; 0% contained) and Goat fire (813 acres; 3% contained). The Wonderland Complex southeast of Buckley stands at 392 acres (10% contained). Additional active incidents across Washington include Ptarmigan (25,166 acres; 73% contained), Border 2 (8,169 acres; 73% contained), Luna (7,835 acres; 34% contained), High Lava (2,899 acres; 63% contained), and Electric (494 acres; 36% contained, following a reduction due to more accurate mapping).
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Spokane — Mostly Cloudy, High 71, Low 51
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Seattle — Mostly Cloudy, High 68, Low 55
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Yakima — Mostly Cloudy, High 74, Low 53
Oregon
Oregon continues to manage extensive wildland fire activity under Northwest Area coordination.
The Big Grass fire southwest of Jordan Valley spans 578,637 acres (94% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering. The Rowe Creek Complex south of Fossil stands at 373,927 acres (99% contained) with minimal smoldering under CIMT ODF Team 1.
The Grasshopper fire on the Mt. Hood National Forest has burned 93,999 acres (96% contained) with minimal backing, creeping, and smoldering. The Austin fire stands at 12,831 acres (36% contained) with minimal backing, creeping, and smoldering under CIMT Northwest Team 10, which is also managing Grasshopper and The Narrows fire (304 acres; 89% contained). The Hagen fire (61,385 acres; 63% contained) exhibits minimal creeping and smoldering and is managed alongside the Paradise fire (9,656 acres; 28% contained) in the Umatilla National Forest under CIMT Northwest Team 8.
The McCully fire northwest of Baker City spans 13,561 acres (61% contained) under CIMT California Team 1 with minimal creeping and smoldering.
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Pendleton — Partly Cloudy, High 72, Low 47
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Medford — Partly Cloudy, High 84, Low 50
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Portland — Mostly Cloudy, High 71, Low 54
California
Northern California and Southern California are both operating at Preparedness Level 3.
In Northern California, the new Lucas fire north of Upper Lake has burned 300 acres (0% contained) with extreme fire behavior, short-range spotting, and wind-driven runs, prompting evacuations and road closures. The MP18 fire north of Hoopa stands at 7,599 acres (98% contained) with minimal smoldering.
In Southern California, the Plaskett fire southwest of Big Sur has reached 29,942 acres (79% contained) with minimal backing, creeping, and smoldering under CIMT California Team 7. The Timber fire in the Los Padres National Forest southeast of Big Sur has burned 25,380 acres (27% contained) with active fire behavior including uphill runs, flanking, and backing under CIMT Southwest Team 1.
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Sacramento — Sunny, High 91, Low 60
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Fresno — Sunny, High 100, Low 67
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Los Angeles — Sunny, High 92, Low 70
Idaho
Idaho coordinates active incidents across both the Great Basin and Northern Rockies geographic areas.
In southern and central Idaho within the Great Basin Area, the Crooked fire on the Boise National Forest spans 10,084 acres (88% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering under CIMT Great Basin Team 3. The Doublesprings fire northwest of Mackay stands at 1,779 acres (50% contained) with minimal fire behavior.
In northern Idaho within the Northern Rockies Area, the Cascade fire stands at 7,475 acres (50% contained). The Moose Mountain fire covers 5,832 acres (30% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering. The Upper Smith fire spans 4,848 acres (41% contained) with minimal smoldering. The Silver fire stands at 2,593 acres (30% contained), Parker Lake covers 1,531 acres (0% contained), and Dudley has reached 100% containment at 800 acres.
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Boise — Sunny, High 80, Low 56
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Pocatello — Partly Cloudy, High 81, Low 46
Montana
The Northern Rockies Area is at Preparedness Level 2, tracking 14 uncontained large fires across the region.
The new Beaver Creek fire in Powder River County has burned 505 acres (0% contained) with moderate smoldering. The Sand Creek fire east of Wisdom spans 35,509 acres (48% contained) with minimal backing, creeping, and smoldering. Additional active fires across the state include Bobcat Lakes (10,895 acres; 66% contained), Camp Creek (9,725 acres; 0% contained), Silvertip (7,280 acres; 15% contained), Moose (6,005 acres; 15% contained), Nature Grove (1,422 acres; 0% contained), Scimitar (334 acres; 0% contained), and Cooper (310 acres; 0% contained).
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Missoula — Partly Cloudy, High 67, Low 43
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Helena — Showers, High 65, Low 43
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Great Falls — Showers, High 58, Low 43
Nevada
The Great Basin Area is at Preparedness Level 2, coordinating large incident suppression across Nevada.
The McConnell fire east of Orovada has reached 33,243 acres (85% contained) with minimal smoldering, creeping, and flanking.
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Reno — Sunny, High 89, Low 56
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Las Vegas — Sunny, High 106, Low 82
Utah
The Great Basin Area is managing active large incidents across Utah.
The Slough Canyon fire east of Price spans 4,774 acres (65% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering.
- Salt Lake City — Sunny, High 88, Low 66
Wyoming
Wyoming manages active fire activity under the Rocky Mountain Area with elevated to locally critical fire weather conditions.
The Moonshine fire southwest of Wheatland covers 3,928 acres (0% contained) with active fire behavior including torching, running, and short-range spotting.
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Casper — Partly Cloudy, High 82, Low 42
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Cheyenne — Thunderstorms, High 84, Low 50
Colorado
The Rocky Mountain Area is operating at Preparedness Level 2, managing 6 uncontained large fires across the region.
The Aspen Acres fire in Custer County southwest of Pueblo stands at 102,004 acres (82% contained) with moderate fire behavior. The Willow fire near Leadville covers 7,534 acres (80% contained) with moderate fire behavior, and the Elk fire spans 7,257 acres (73% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering.
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Grand Junction — Partly Cloudy, High 90, Low 61
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Pueblo — Sunny, High 95, Low 59
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Denver — Partly Cloudy, High 91, Low 58
Arizona
The Southwest Area is at Preparedness Level 2, reporting no uncontained large fires currently active across Arizona.
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Flagstaff — Thunderstorms, High 80, Low 53
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Phoenix — Very Hot, High 106, Low 86
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Tucson — Thunderstorms, High 98, Low 74
New Mexico
The Southwest Area is coordinating active large fires across New Mexico.
The Frijoles fire in the Santa Fe National Forest east of Cundiyo spans 15,547 acres (79% contained) with minimal backing, flanking, and creeping. The Whiskey fire northwest of Mountainair stands at 432 acres (42% contained) with moderate flanking and backing.
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Santa Fe — Sunny, High 92, Low 59
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Albuquerque — Sunny, High 95, Low 66
Texas
The Southern Area is at Preparedness Level 3, tracking active incidents across Texas.
The Ross fire west of Palo Pinto has burned 90,400 acres (76% contained) under CIMT Florida State Team 1 with moderate fire behavior including single tree torching, creeping, and smoldering. The Kurk fire northeast of Cherokee covers 822 acres (75% contained) with minimal smoldering and flanking following mapping adjustments. The Half Section fire southeast of Eldorado covers 695 acres (85% contained) with moderate smoldering.
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Dallas-Fort Worth — Thunderstorms, High 98, Low 79
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Austin — Thunderstorms, High 100, Low 77
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Waco — Thunderstorms, High 99, Low 76
Oklahoma
The Southern Area coordinates suppression across active Oklahoma fires.
The Meers fire on the Anadarko Agency northwest of Lawton covers 914 acres (75% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering. The Railroad South fire east of Indiahoma stands at 515 acres (90% contained) with minimal smoldering and creeping.
The West Glover fire in the Ouachita National Forest northwest of Hochatown stands at 499 acres (80% contained) with minimal smoldering.
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Oklahoma City — Partly Cloudy, High 92, Low 73
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Tulsa — Partly Cloudy, High 90, Low 74
Arkansas
The Southern Area reports no uncontained large fires currently active across Arkansas.
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Little Rock — Showers, High 91, Low 71
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Fort Smith — Mostly Cloudy, High 92, Low 72
Florida
The Southern Area reports no uncontained large fires currently active across Florida.
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Orlando — Thunderstorms, High 92, Low 76
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Tampa — Thunderstorms, High 90, Low 77
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Miami Beach — Thunderstorms, High 90, Low 80
Georgia
The Southern Area reports activity on wildlife refuge lands in Georgia.
The Main Trail fire in the Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge southeast of Savannah covers 841 acres (99% contained) with minimal fire behavior.
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Atlanta — Thunderstorms, High 91, Low 72
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Savannah — Thunderstorms, High 92, Low 74
South Dakota
The Rocky Mountain Area coordinates fire activity across South Dakota.
The Needles fire on the Pine Ridge Agency east of Evergreen Community covers 6,017 acres (90% contained) with minimal smoldering. The Lookout fire north of Spearfish spans 444 acres (71% contained) with minimal smoldering.
- Rapid City — Mostly Cloudy, High 86, Low 49
Minnesota
The Eastern Area is operating at Preparedness Level 1, coordinating 1 active incident with 30,804 cumulative acres across the region.
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Duluth — Showers, High 79, Low 55
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Minneapolis-St. Paul — Partly Cloudy, High 86, Low 63
Alaska
The Alaska Area is at Preparedness Level 1, coordinating 1 active incident with 7,335 cumulative acres.
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Anchorage — Sunny, High 60, Low 53
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Fairbanks — Showers, High 57, Low 48
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Juneau — Sunny, High 66, Low 39
Sources: NICC Incident Management Situation Report (Fri Sept 11, 2026), NIFC Fire Information, National Weather Service