The scale of the 2026 Pacific Northwest fire season has triggered one of the most extensive national resource mobilizations in recent memory. With 102 large fires burning nationwide and the Northwest bearing the brunt of the crisis, the National Interagency Fire Center has committed enormous firefighting assets to the region — including military aircraft and international crews.

Personnel by the Numbers

More than 29,200 firefighting personnel are currently assigned to incidents nationwide, the majority of them committed to fires across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. This number includes:

  • Hotshot crews and hand crews from across the country
  • Engine crews from municipal, county, state, and federal agencies
  • Helicopter rappellers and smokejumpers for initial attack
  • Logistics, planning, and operations staff on incident management teams
  • Support personnel including caterers, mechanics, and dispatchers

Incident Management Teams

27 Complex Incident Management Teams (Type 1 and Type 2) and two National Incident Management Organizations (NIMOs) are currently assigned across the country, with the Northwest receiving priority allocation. These teams provide the organizational infrastructure needed to manage fires burning thousands to hundreds of thousands of acres, coordinating air and ground resources, logistics, public information, and safety.

Military MAFFS Airtankers

The U.S. Air Force Reserve has activated Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) C-130 airtankers to supplement the civilian airtanker fleet. Four MAFFS aircraft are currently deployed — two from the 302nd Airlift Wing (Colorado) and additional airframes — positioned at:

  • Klamath Falls, Oregon — Providing rapid response coverage for southern Oregon and northern California fires
  • Redding, California — Supporting California and southern Oregon incidents

MAFFS-equipped C-130s can discharge up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant in a single pass lasting less than 10 seconds. They are activated when the demand for civilian airtankers exceeds available supply — a threshold that has clearly been reached this season.

International Firefighters

Firefighters from Australia and New Zealand are assigned to support large fires in the Northwest Area under longstanding bilateral emergency management agreements. These international crews typically arrive with advanced wildfire suppression skills and experience fighting fires in conditions similar to those found in the Pacific Northwest.

The deployment of Southern Hemisphere crews underscores the severity of the current situation — international crews are typically called upon only when domestic resources are fully committed and additional skilled personnel are needed.

Resource Pressures

NIFC characterizes national firefighting resources as "heavily committed" — meaning there is little to no surge capacity remaining in the national system. Any major new fire igniting under extreme conditions could face a delayed response simply because crews, aircraft, and overhead teams are already assigned elsewhere.

This resource pressure makes fire prevention, defensible space, and early detection all the more critical for communities throughout the Pacific Northwest this season.