The 2026 wildfire season has etched itself into the record books. As of September 11, 2026, the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reports that 54,136 fires have burned more than 8.4 million acres nationwide since January 1 — a pace that significantly outstrips any recent comparable year. Firefighters are currently working to contain 58 large fires burning in eight geographic areas, with 12,965 firefighters and support personnel assigned to incidents across the country.
Where Fires Are Burning
The Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies are shouldering the heaviest burden, accounting for the majority of active large fires:
- Washington: 12 large fires
- Montana: 9 large fires
- Oregon: 8 large fires
- Idaho: 7 large fires
- California: 4 large fires
- Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and South Dakota: additional active incidents
All active fires across the country currently account for approximately 2.78 million acres of burning or recently burned landscape.
How 2026 Compares
The year-to-date statistics through September 11 paint a stark picture when measured against recent history. In 2025, this date saw 48,611 fires and 4.37 million acres — the 2026 season has essentially doubled the acreage at the same point in the calendar. The 2024 season recorded 36,511 fires and 7.03 million acres. At 8.4 million acres, 2026 is already above 2024 totals with weeks of fire season still remaining.
National Preparedness Level
NIFC moved the national preparedness level down from 5 to 3 as of September 9, 2026. The country had been at Preparedness Level 5 — its highest — from July 18 through September 4, meaning federal resources were fully committed and essentially every available firefighting asset was deployed. The step-down to Level 3 reflects containment progress and the arrival of early September precipitation in parts of the West, but officials caution that the fire season is far from over.
International Support
To help meet the extraordinary resource demand, two 15-member incident management teams and 212 fireline personnel from Australia and New Zealand are currently assigned to support large fires in the Northwest and Great Basin geographic areas, according to the NIFC Incident Management Situation Report. The deployment of international crews underscores how deeply the domestic firefighting workforce has been stretched this season.
Shifting to Fuels Work
As some of the season's largest fires move toward full containment, NIFC noted that many fire personnel on public lands are beginning to transition from active suppression to fuels management — prescribed burning and mechanical treatment that helps reduce vegetation loads and improve landscape resilience ahead of future fire seasons. Communities in the Northwest should watch for prescribed burn notifications over the coming weeks.