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September 12, 2023 - Currently, 74 large wildfires have burned 476,097 acres in 13 states. Four new large fires were reported, two in New Mexico, one in Arizona and one in Texas. About 
12,000 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents across the nation. This includes 238 crews, 612 engines, 96 helicopters, and 19 incident management teams.
Almost 89% of the 42,124 wildfires reported in 2023 were caused by people. To date, 37,338 human-caused wildfires were reported and burned 1,159,036 acres. Lightning ignited 4,729 wildfires and burned 1,036,390 acres. States with the most human-caused wildfires include California, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Pennsylvania. Wildland firefighters and support personnel need your help to prevent wildfires. Our forests, parks and rangelands are a natural treasure so please do your part in protecting the open spaces we all value. Enjoy your public lands and protect them by doing your part in fire prevention.
The predictive services staff at the National Interagency Coordination Center released the National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for September through December. The current wildland fire potential outlook and the monthly seasonal outlook podcast is also available.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to work with state and local agencies in Hawai‘i. Some national parks in Hawai‘i have been affected by wildfires. For the latest on closure status, recovery, and travel please visit: Wildfires affecting Hawaii - Hawai'i (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).
Widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms will develop over much of the Southwest and Four Corners into central and west Texas. Widespread wetting rain is forecast, with the greatest potential for flooding and debris flows from northern and eastern Arizona into New Mexico. A cold front will move through the Deep South and Appalachians, with isolated showers in the Deep South, but scattered to widespread thunderstorms and showers for the Appalachians into the eastern Great Lakes and Northeast. Temperatures will cool behind the front, but hot temperatures will continue along the Gulf Coast ahead of the front with low to moderate afternoon relative humidity. Above normal temperatures will continue across much of the northern Great Basin and northern Rockies ahead of a cold front, while California and the Northwest cools to near normal behind the front with weak onshore flow. Westerly winds gusting to 25-35 mph across the Inland Northwest will create locally elevated fire weather conditions behind the front. Near to above normal temperatures will spread into much of the northern Plains as well, but below normal temperatures will continue in much of the Midwest.
| Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk |
4 | States currently reporting large fires: |
| Number of active large fires Total does not include individual fires within complexes. |
74 | |
| Acres from active fires | 476,097 | |
| Fires contained | 1 |
Year-to-date statistics
| 2023 (1/1/23-9/12/23) | Fires: 42,124 | Acres: 2,197,243 |
| 2022 (1/1/22-9/12/22) | Fires: 23,366 | Acres: 6,726,028 |
| 2021 (1/1/21-9/12/21) | Fires: 44,361 | Acres: 5,561,102 |
| 2020 (1/1/20-9/12/20) | Fires: 42,017 | Acres: 5,967,127 |
| 2019 (1/1/19-9/12/19) | Fires: 36,370 | Acres: 4,272,503 |
| 2018 (1/1/18-9/12/18) | Fires: 47,623 | Acres: 7,182,984 |
| 2017 (1/1/17-9/12/17) | Fires: 49,012 | Acres: 8,217,009 |
| 2016 (1/1/16-9/12/16) | Fires: 42,641 | Acres: 4,767,857 |
| 2015 (1/1/15-9/12/15) | Fires: 45,352 | Acres: 8,673,842 |
| 2014 (1/1/14-9/12/14) | Fires: 39,323 | Acres: 2,824,933 |
| 2013 (1/1/13-9/12/13) | Fires: 37,467 | Acres: 4,020,457 |
10-year average Year-to-Date
| 2013-2022 | Fires: 43,215 | Acres: 6,126,749 |
Source: NIFC
