Click Here for California Fires
August 12, 2024 - As of now, 78 large active wildfires are being managed with full suppression strategies nationwide. Current wildfires have burned 2,404,053 acres. About 
27,200 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildfires, including 22 complex and 5 Type 1 incident management teams, 610 crews, 1,475 engines, 169 helicopters, and six Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, or MAFFS.
Fire managers in California and parts of Oregon and the Great Basin are preparing for very dry air and areas of westerly winds that could cause existing large fires to burn actively over the next couple days.
Evacuation orders are in effect on 17 wildfires. If you're in an area threatened by wildfires, your safety is the top priority. When evacuation orders are issued, it's crucial to act quickly and follow the guidance of local authorities. Remember, your safety and the safety of your loved ones is what matters most. Trust the experts, follow evacuation orders, and stay safe. Learn more about evacuation plans and animal evacuation tips at https://www.ready.gov/
Take a look at the fuels and fire behavior advisories issued for Colorado's Front Range and Eastern Wyoming, Southwest Oregon, the region east of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington, Nevada, Southern Idaho, Utah, and California. Residents, travelers, or workers on their way to any of these states should be advised and familiarize themselves with the elevated risks.
For more information about the mobilization of wildland firefighters from Australia and New Zealand visit the international support page.
The current reporting from source data for year-to-date figures appears to be underreporting fire acreage in some geographic areas and, therefore, the overall national statistics. Given the very high tempo and scale of national current fire activity, there will be delays in reconciling, especially from areas with large fires and dynamic fire activity. Adjustments may occur as the accuracy of fire locations, mapping and final fire reporting is reconciled.
Troughing will deepen over the West Coast while ridging shifts farther east into the Plains. Further cooling is expected west of the Divide bringing temperatures around seasonal normals, and even 3 to 6 degrees below normal west of the Cascades. Meanwhile, temperatures over the Southern Plains and Gulf Coast will soar to 5 to 10 degrees above normal. Temperatures in the Lower Mississippi Valley and Southern Plains will continue to rise near to above 100°F. Breezy northerly offshore winds are likely to continue for the Gulf Coast states and breezy southerly winds of 15-25 mph will continue for west Texas. These conditions will keep low humidity in place that will continue to enhance fire potential. Monsoon activity will continue to remain active for Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. It will likely remain dry over southeast California and Nevada due to increasing westerly flow. Increasing moisture and instability from the trough may bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to portions of the Northwest, northern Great Basin, and across the Rockies. Storms will be fast moving so there may be a mix of wet and dry storms, so an increase in fire potential will be possible with increased lightning activity. Increasing moisture from the trough will lead to very dry conditions becoming a bit less widespread over the northern/western Great Basin into California, though RH will still be in the 8-25% range for the driest areas. Westerly winds are expected to strengthen and become more widespread for California, Nevada, and into southwest Idaho and Wyoming keeping elevated to critical fire weather conditions in place.
| Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk |
4 | States currently reporting large fires: |
| Total number of active large fires Total does not include individual fires within complexes. |
78 | |
| Acres from active fires | 2,404,053 | |
| Fires contained | 2 |
Year-to-date statistics
| 2024 (1/1/24-8/12/24) | Fires: 29,313 | Acres: 5,211,246 |
| 2023 (1/1/23-8/12/23) | Fires: 34,045 | Acres: 1,620,861 |
| 2022 (1/1/22-8/12/22) | Fires: 41,875 | Acres: 5,899,791 |
| 2021 (1/1/21-8/12/21) | Fires: 39,955 | Acres: 3,847,770 |
| 2020 (1/1/20-8/12/20) | Fires: 35,121 | Acres: 2,341,183 |
| 2019 (1/1/19-8/12/19) | Fires: 29,399 | Acres: 3,627,677 |
| 2018 (1/1/18-8/12/18) | Fires: 40,162 | Acres: 5,732,610 |
| 2017 (1/1/17-8/12/17) | Fires: 41,562 | Acres: 6,216,626 |
| 2016 (1/1/16-8/12/16) | Fires: 36,948 | Acres: 3,825,204 |
| 2015 (1/1/15-8/12/15) | Fires: 39,609 | Acres: 6,471,748 |
| 2014 (1/1/14-8/12/14) | Fires: 35,751 | Acres: 2,533,648 |
10-year average Year-to-Date
| 2014-2023 | Fires: 37,156 | Acres: 4,156,200 |
Source: NIFC
