Resources & Equipment

Military MAFFS aircraft, hotshot crews, and structure protection engines have all been pushed to capacity during the 2026 fire season. Here is a look at the massive resource deployment across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

National Guard and Reserve C-130 Hercules aircraft have dropped hundreds of thousands of gallons of retardant across the West during the 2026 fire surge. With 18,401 personnel currently deployed and 48 days at max national readiness now behind them, resource managers are eyeing a brief window of relief.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord military personnel are deployed to Washington's Little Giant Fire as the Pacific Northwest operates at Preparedness Level 4. More than 19,000 firefighters are nationally deployed to 78 large fires as resources remain stretched.

More than 20,245 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildfire incidents across the United States as the fire season hits a historical peak. In Washington, international crews from New Zealand and Australia and hundreds of National Guard soldiers are working alongside federal firefighters on the region's most complex incidents.

NIFC reports 74 drone incursions near wildfires in 2026, with 45 in Washington State alone. Each incident can ground aerial firefighting operations, costing critical response time when every minute matters.

Australia and New Zealand have deployed a record 240-plus wildland firefighters to the U.S., with most sent to the Pacific Northwest, as the nation reaches National Preparedness Level 5 with over 21,000 personnel assigned to active fires.

With 22,434 firefighters deployed nationwide and 14 large fires each in both Idaho and Washington, the 2026 season is testing resource limits. The Northwest dropped from Preparedness Level 5 to PL4 on August 31 — its first reduction after 44 straight days at maximum operational intensity.

Over 22,000 firefighting personnel are deployed nationally, with the Washington National Guard activated and crews flowing in from as far as Southern California to combat the Northwest's worst fire season in years.

With 21,371 wildland firefighters and support personnel assigned to 92 large fires across the country, the nation's firefighting resources are deeply committed. California and other states have deployed engines and crews to support overwhelmed Pacific Northwest agencies.

With National Preparedness Level 5 declared, over 22,000 firefighters are battling 79 uncontained large fires nationwide as the 2026 season reaches 7.9+ million acres burned — 163% of the 10-year average. Idaho alone has 44 active fires across 20 counties.

73 drone incursions near wildfires have been reported nationally in 2026, with 45 occurring in Washington State. At the Spokane Complex, 39 unauthorized flights in 48 hours grounded firefighting aircraft. The FBI has deployed counter-UAS technology to track and prosecute violators.

The U.S. has remained at National Preparedness Level 5 for 40 straight days as 22,356 firefighters battle 93 large fires nationwide. Active-duty Army soldiers and National Guard units have joined the fireline in Washington, including 240 soldiers assigned to the Little Giant Fire in Chelan County.

Both the national and Northwest firefighting systems are at Preparedness Level 5 — maximum capacity — with over 22,000 personnel in the field and resources described as critically low. International crews from Canada and Australia have been activated under emergency sharing agreements to address the gap.

Nearly 13,000 of the 22,085 firefighters deployed nationally are working Oregon and Washington fires. The PNW is the top national resource priority, with Oregon Air National Guard crews also mobilized for the Grasshopper Fire near Tygh Valley.

National Preparedness Level 5 has been in effect since late July, with 22,122 firefighters deployed to 79 large fires nationwide. The Northwest leads with 29 fires and 11 incident management teams assigned.

More than 22,000 firefighters are currently assigned to incidents across the United States, with the Pacific Northwest drawing heavily on national resources including aerial assets and Unmanned Aircraft Systems to fight its 29 active large fires.

NIFC reports 24,265 firefighters and support personnel deployed to 76 large fires nationwide, with the Pacific Northwest consuming the lion's share of interagency resources. DC-10 VLATs returned to service in May after an earlier grounding.

With 80 large uncontained fires burning across the country and the Pacific Northwest bearing the heaviest load, more than 28,700 personnel are currently assigned to wildland fire incidents nationwide. Washington has activated over 300 National Guard members, and resources from states as far away as Florida are being deployed to the region.

Unauthorized drone flights have disrupted aerial firefighting 67 times nationally in 2026, with 39 incidents in Washington alone. During the Spokane fires, more than 21 incursions were recorded in a single day, grounding helicopters and air tankers.

With nearly 30,000 personnel deployed nationwide and the Pacific Northwest drawing the bulk of national resources, the 2026 fire season is pushing the national preparedness level to its limits. Resource competition between regions is complicating response to new fires.