22,000 Firefighters Deployed Nationwide as Pacific Northwest Named Top National Priority

The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reports that 22,085 firefighters and support personnel are currently assigned to wildfire incidents across the United States — and nearly 13,000 of them are working in Oregon and Washington alone. That figure represents almost half of all firefighting personnel committed nationally, reflecting the severity and scale of the Pacific Northwest fire situation in 2026.

PNW Declared National Priority #1

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) has designated the Pacific Northwest as the number one national priority for firefighting resource allocation, a designation that has been in place for much of August. This means that when ordering additional resources — Interagency Hotshot Crews (IHCs), air tankers, helicopters, Type 1 Incident Management Teams, and heavy equipment — Pacific Northwest incidents receive priority over other geographic areas.

"We're taking all the help we can get," said NWCC coordinator Kyle Sullivan, noting that the complexity of managing fires with hundreds of miles of active perimeter demands sustained resource commitment over weeks, not days.

Oregon Air National Guard Joins the Fight

In a notable deployment this month, Oregon Air National Guard hand crew members were activated and deployed to the fire line to assist with structure protection efforts on the Grasshopper Fire near Tygh Valley, Oregon. Guard personnel worked alongside USFS and contract crews holding defensible space around homes and outbuildings in the Tygh Valley area as the fire pressed toward communities in Hood River and Wasco counties.

The use of National Guard resources in wildfire suppression reflects both the scale of this season and the strain on traditional firefighting resources.

Resource Availability: Preparedness Level 4

The Northwest Coordination Center has been operating at Preparedness Level 4 — the second-highest level — through August 30. At this level, most national firefighting resources are committed, and ordering additional Type 1 or Type 2 Incident Management Teams requires coordination with the National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC) in Boise.

As of August 24, 2026, the following are among the key resources committed to the Pacific Northwest region:

Multiple Type 1 Incident Management Teams on large fires including Rowe Creek Complex, Hagen, and Grasshopper
Large air tanker and VLAT (Very Large Air Tanker) assets rotating between high-priority incidents
Multiple IHC (Hotshot) crews from across the western United States
Interagency helicopter resources for initial attack and reconnaissance
Out-of-region engine and hand crew resources from the Southwest, Southern California, and the Rocky Mountain regions

The Challenge of Extreme Fires

Resource managers are candid about the challenges this season presents. The sheer size of fires like the Rowe Creek Complex (373,981 acres) and Grasshopper Fire (93,693 acres) means that even well-staffed incidents can take weeks or months to fully contain. With 600 miles of fire line on the Rowe Creek Complex alone, Sullivan noted that progressing from 89% to 90% containment means securing six additional miles of perimeter — a significant operational undertaking.

Additionally, extreme fire behavior during peak afternoon conditions routinely forces crew withdrawals to safety zones, limiting the hours per day during which crews can work aggressively on the line.

Supporting Firefighters in the Field

Incident camps supporting Oregon and Washington fires house hundreds to thousands of personnel each, providing food, equipment, medical support, and rest. Several fires this season have had crews on assignment for extended periods, raising concerns about fatigue management. NIFC notes that all incident management teams are required to comply with work-rest guidelines to protect firefighter safety.