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 66 new fires reported nationwide yesterday.
Firefighters are currently working to manage 56 uncontained large fires, with 4 new large incidents emerging, 2 large fires contained, and 13,674 total personnel assigned to incidents nationwide.
So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 54,226 wildfires that have burned 8,426,190 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.
Dry and breezy southwesterly winds will bring moderate significant fire potential for much of northern California, the northern and central Great Basin, the central Rockies, and the northern High Plains, with sustained winds of 15–35 mph and gusts of 30–50 mph amid minimum relative humidity of 7–20%.
Across the Sacramento Valley, Sierra Front, and western Nevada, locally stronger wind gusts of 50–60 mph will bring high-risk conditions.
Much of Texas and eastern New Mexico will also experience moderate significant fire potential as hot and dry conditions continue and breezy winds develop, with wind speeds of 15–20 mph amid temperatures near 100°F and minimum relative humidity of 15–25%.
Mixed wet/dry thunderstorms are possible across the southern Plains as well as the Four Corners area.
Elsewhere, significant fire potential is low, with below-average temperatures along the West Coast, Northern Rockies, and Northern Plains.
Scattered showers are expected across the Pacific Northwest, with showers and thunderstorms extending across the Central Plains, Mid-Mississippi Valley, Southeast, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic.
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 172,592 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 3,054 acres (11% contained) with active flanking, backing, and torching. The Sinlahekin fire near Tonasket spans 166,021 acres (76% contained) with minimal smoldering and creeping.
The Three Queens fire east of Snoqualmie Pass stands at 9,527 acres (14% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering under CIMT Northwest Team 2, which is also managing the King fire (3,278 acres; 0% contained) and Goat fire (816 acres; 22% contained). The Wonderland Complex stands at 392 acres (10% contained). Additional active incidents across Washington include Ptarmigan (25,166 acres; 73% contained), Border 2 (8,171 acres; 73% contained), Luna (7,879 acres; 34% contained), High Lava (2,899 acres; 63% contained), and Electric (494 acres; 44% contained).
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Spokane — Mostly Cloudy, High 72, Low 49
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Seattle — Mostly Cloudy, High 70, Low 54
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Yakima — Mostly Cloudy, High 75, Low 50
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 93,998 acres (97% contained) with minimal backing, creeping, and smoldering following a slight acreage reduction due to more accurate mapping. The Austin fire stands at 12,873 acres (54% 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; 66% 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 13,598 acres (65% contained) under CIMT California Team 1 with minimal creeping and smoldering. The new Sycan fire southwest of Summer Lake covers 400 acres (0% contained) in grass, brush, and timber, exhibiting active behavior with wind-driven runs, short-range spotting, and flanking.
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Pendleton — Mostly Cloudy, High 76, Low 45
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Medford — Partly Cloudy, High 73, Low 48
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Portland — Mostly Cloudy, High 69, Low 54
California
Northern California and Southern California are both operating at Preparedness Level 3.
In Northern California, the Lucas fire north of Upper Lake has grown to 3,475 acres (10% contained) with extreme fire behavior, short-range spotting, and wind-driven runs, with evacuations and road closures remaining in effect. 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 (83% 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 moderate fire behavior including flanking, backing, and creeping under CIMT Southwest Team 1.
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Sacramento — Sunny, High 86, Low 55
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Fresno — Sunny, High 96, Low 62
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Los Angeles — Partly Cloudy, High 88, Low 68
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 (92% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering, with transfer of command from CIMT Great Basin Team 3 back to the local unit scheduled for tomorrow. 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) with minimal smoldering and creeping. The Moose Mountain fire covers 5,832 acres (40% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering following precipitation over the fire area. The Upper Smith fire spans 4,848 acres (41% contained) with minimal smoldering. The Silver fire stands at 2,593 acres (30% contained), and Parker Lake covers 1,531 acres (0% contained).
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Boise — Partly Cloudy, High 86, Low 54
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Pocatello — Partly Cloudy, High 85, Low 52
Montana
The Northern Rockies Area is at Preparedness Level 2, tracking 14 uncontained large fires across the region.
The Sand Creek fire east of Wisdom spans 35,510 acres (53% contained) with minimal backing, creeping, and smoldering. The Bobcat Lakes fire covers 10,886 acres (66% contained) after an acreage reduction from more accurate mapping. Additional active fires across Montana include 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), Beaver Creek (505 acres; 0% contained), Scimitar (334 acres; 0% contained), and Cooper (310 acres; 0% contained).
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Missoula — Mostly Cloudy, High 70, Low 44
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Helena — Mostly Cloudy, High 65, Low 42
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Great Falls — Cloudy, High 58, Low 41
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 creeping, smoldering, and flanking.
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Reno — Windy, High 87, Low 50
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Las Vegas — Sunny, High 103, 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 (66% contained) with minimal smoldering and backing.
- Salt Lake City — Partly Cloudy, High 91, Low 72
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 5,656 acres (26% contained) with active fire behavior including running, torching, and short-range spotting, prompting evacuations and threatening residences.
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Casper — Partly Cloudy, High 81, Low 41
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Cheyenne — Thunderstorms, High 75, Low 53
Colorado
The Rocky Mountain Area is operating at Preparedness Level 2, managing 5 uncontained large fires across the region.
The Aspen Acres fire in Custer County southwest of Pueblo stands at 102,004 acres (82% contained) with minimal fire behavior. The Willow fire west of Leadville covers 7,390 acres (80% contained) with moderate fire behavior following mapping adjustments, and the Elk fire northwest of Lake City spans 7,257 acres (73% contained).
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Grand Junction — Partly Cloudy, High 90, Low 65
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Pueblo — Sunny, High 85, Low 57
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Denver — Thunderstorms, High 83, Low 60
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 52
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Phoenix — Very Hot, High 103, Low 87
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Tucson — Thunderstorms, High 95, 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 active fire behavior including uphill runs, short-range spotting, and isolated torching.
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Santa Fe — Sunny, High 92, Low 60
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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 (79% contained) under CIMT Florida State Team 1 with moderate fire behavior including single tree torching, smoldering, and creeping following localized rainfall. The Kurk fire northeast of Cherokee covers 824 acres (85% contained) with minimal smoldering. The Half Section fire southeast of Eldorado covers 695 acres (95% contained) with minimal smoldering. The new Vega fire (352 acres) and Lucero fire (325 acres) have both achieved 100% containment.
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Dallas-Fort Worth — Sunny, High 101, Low 80
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Austin — Partly Cloudy, High 103, Low 77
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Waco — Sunny, High 101, Low 77
Oklahoma
The Southern Area coordinates suppression across active Oklahoma fires.
The Meers fire on the Anadarko Agency northwest of Meers covers 914 acres (75% contained) with minimal creeping and smoldering. The West Glover fire on the Ouachita National Forest northwest of Hochatown stands at 499 acres (80% contained) with minimal smoldering.
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Oklahoma City — Thunderstorms, High 99, Low 75
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Tulsa — Thunderstorms, High 96, Low 74
Arkansas
The Southern Area reports no uncontained large fires currently active across Arkansas.
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Little Rock — Sunny, High 96, Low 74
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Fort Smith — Thunderstorms, High 99, Low 74
Alabama
The Southern Area coordinates suppression on active fires in Alabama.
The new Ray Coaker fire 13 miles southwest of Deer Park has burned 707 acres (80% contained) in brush with minimal fire behavior.
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Birmingham — Showers, High 89, Low 72
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Mobile — Thunderstorms, High 89, Low 73
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Montgomery — Showers, High 89, Low 71
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 78
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Miami Beach — Thunderstorms, High 90, Low 79
Georgia
The Southern Area reports no uncontained large fires currently active across Georgia.
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Atlanta — Thunderstorms, High 86, Low 72
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Savannah — Thunderstorms, High 91, Low 74
South Dakota
The Rocky Mountain Area coordinates fire activity across South Dakota.
The Lookout fire north of Spearfish spans 444 acres (71% contained) in timber and grass with minimal smoldering.
- Rapid City — Partly Cloudy, High 72, Low 48
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 — Sunny, High 67, Low 45
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Minneapolis-St. Paul — Partly Cloudy, High 73, Low 55
Alaska
The Alaska Area is at Preparedness Level 1, coordinating 1 active incident with 7,335 cumulative acres.
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Anchorage — Rain, High 61, Low 47
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Fairbanks — Showers, High 53, Low 43
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Juneau — Partly Cloudy, High 66, Low 41
Sources: NICC Incident Management Situation Report (Sat Sept 12, 2026), NIFC Fire Information, National Weather Service