240 JBLM Soldiers, Canadian Airtankers Deployed as National Firefighting Resources Hit Maximum

The scale of the 2026 Pacific Northwest fire season has pushed the national firefighting system to its absolute limits, compelling agencies to deploy resources rarely seen in wildland fire operations: active-duty Army soldiers, international airtanker contracts, and the full mobilization of every available crew, engine, and aviation asset in the national interagency system.

JBLM Soldiers on the Fireline

Approximately 240 soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command – Pacific), based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Washington, arrived at the Inchelium Forward Operating Base on August 9 and began active suppression work on the Modrite Fire in Ferry County.

The soldiers are organized into hand crew teams, clearing vegetation to create firelines, mopping up hotspots, and supporting containment efforts alongside professional wildland firefighters. The deployment was coordinated through the U.S. Army at the request of firefighting agencies overwhelmed by the concurrent demands of dozens of large fires across the region.

According to DVIDS (Defense Visual Information Distribution Service), the soldiers are from the 7th Infantry Division and are assigned tasks appropriate for military personnel with limited wildfire training — primarily line construction and mop-up work in areas that have already received aerial and initial attack treatment. Professional incident management teams are directing fire operations.

Canadian Aviation Mutual Aid

Under long-standing international mutual aid agreements with Canada, two Large Airtankers and one Birddog (lead plane) from the province of Manitoba have been deployed to Boise, Idaho, where they are available for assignment across the Northwest geographic area. These aircraft expand the airtanker fleet available to fire managers at a time when every domestic large airtanker is already committed to incidents across the western United States.

Canada and the United States maintain reciprocal agreements for sharing firefighting aircraft and crews during major fire seasons — a relationship that has become increasingly important as fire seasons on both sides of the border have grown longer and more intense.

National Preparedness Level 5: What It Means

The National Interagency Fire Center has maintained National Preparedness Level 5 — the highest on a five-point scale — since July 18, 2026. At PL5:

All national firefighting resources are committed to active incidents.
No surge capacity exists — new large fires cannot receive immediate resource augmentation from national reserves.
Prioritization decisions must be made when multiple incidents compete for the same resources.
International mutual aid and military assistance are actively pursued to supplement civilian capacity.

As of August 16, 29,548 personnel are committed to wildfire incidents nationwide across 87 uncontained large fires. The Northwest Coordination Center in Portland, which manages Oregon and Washington resources, is also at Preparedness Level 5.

Airtanker and Helicopter Operations

Beyond the Canadian assets in Boise, aviation resources across the Northwest are operating at near-continuous daily utilization. Single engine airtankers (SEATs), large airtankers (LATs), very large airtankers (VLATs), and type 1 and type 2 helicopters are all active across the region. Fire managers are using aerial retardant drops both to slow active fire spread and to protect structures and communities in the path of advancing fires.

The Rowe Creek Complex near Prineville, the Modrite Fire near Inchelium, the Kaiser Canyon Fire on the Colville Reservation, and multiple Oregon fires have all received aerial retardant and water support this week.

Looking Ahead