Idaho is facing one of its most challenging mid-season wildfire periods in years, with 10 large fires actively burning across northern, central, and southern portions of the state as of August 25, 2026. The fires are straining local and state firefighting resources and generating significant smoke that is affecting air quality across broad swaths of the Gem State and neighboring regions.

Crooked Fire Among the Most Active in Boise County

One of the more closely watched incidents is the Crooked Fire in Boise County, which started on August 18, 2026, and has burned 1,931 acres through timber, litter, and understory fuels. The fire has been growing at an average rate of approximately 276 acres per day, and while no major communities have been directly threatened as of latest reports, fire managers are closely monitoring the fire's movement given its active behavior and the dry conditions across the region.

The Crooked Fire is the kind of mid-season lightning-caused fire that is typical of central Idaho's vast forested terrain — remote, difficult to access, and capable of rapid growth when weather conditions are favorable. Aerial resources have been assigned, but the rugged landscape limits the effectiveness of ground-based suppression operations.

Multiple Fronts, Stretched Resources

With 10 large fires burning simultaneously across the state, Idaho's firefighting infrastructure is under significant strain. Resources that would normally be available for initial attack on new fires are already committed to ongoing large-fire operations, meaning new starts have a higher probability of escaping initial attack and growing into larger incidents.

The NIFC's daily national situation report places isolated dry thunderstorms in central Idaho among the primary new-start threats in coming days, particularly in the southwest Montana and northwest Wyoming corridor. Fire managers are pre-positioning resources when possible in anticipation of additional ignitions.

What Residents Should Know

  • Check current fire locations and evacuation orders at InciWeb before traveling in fire-prone areas
  • Sign up for local emergency alerts through your county emergency management office
  • Prepare go-bags and evacuation plans now, before fires threaten your area
  • Avoid outdoor burning of any kind — many areas have burn restrictions in effect
  • Monitor air quality at AirNow.gov and limit outdoor exposure on high-smoke days

Idaho Department of Lands and the Bureau of Land Management are coordinating response operations across jurisdictions. Residents near active fire areas are urged to maintain situational awareness and be ready to evacuate on short notice.