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August 15, 2024 - As of this morning, 67 large active wildfires are being managed with full suppression strategies nationwide. Current wildfires have burned 2,271,843 acres. About 25,400 
wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildfires, including 23 complex and 5 Type 1 incident management teams, 565 crews, 1,274 engines, 129 helicopters, and four Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems, or MAFFS. Sixty fireline management personnel from Australia and New Zealand are assigned to support large fires in the Northwest Area.
Since January 1, 29,917 wildfires have burned 5,382,815 acres in the United States. This is about one million acres above the 10-year average number of acres burned.
As wildfires continue to threaten communities and natural landscapes, it's crucial that we all do our part to prevent new fires from starting. The majority of wildfires are human-caused, which means they are avoidable. By staying vigilant and making responsible choices, we can all help protect our communities and preserve our beautiful landscapes from devastating wildfires. Remember, it only takes a single spark to start a wildfire, but together, we can prevent them.
Evacuation orders are in effect on 14 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/
There are 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, 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.
Note: The current reporting from source data for year-to-date figures appears to be underreporting fire acreage in some geographic areas affecting 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.
Another shortwave trough will move across the northern West Coast on Thursday that will bring another round of scattered mixed wet/dry thunderstorms to northeast California into eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, and western Montana and Wyoming. Confidence is moderate/high that storms will be on the drier side overall as moisture is shallow and storm motion is fast, especially in Idaho. As a result, the increased lightning activity will bring back high-risk significant fire potential for Oregon into Idaho. Wet weather is expected across the central and northern Plains through the upper Midwest with significant precipitation likely. Dry southwesterly flow over the Southwest and southern Great Basin will decrease monsoon activity, keeping any thunderstorms mostly isolated to New Mexico. Very dry conditions with low humidity are expected to continue for the interior of Southern California, western Arizona, Nevada, and Utah with humidity as low as 5-20%, along with areas of poor overnight recovery. Areas of breezy conditions are also expected to continue in these areas and will likely be stronger than Wednesday. High-risk significant fire potential will return for portions of Nevada. Hot, dry, and breezy conditions will continue for Texas and Oklahoma keeping fire potential elevated. Scattered afternoon thunderstorm coverage will continue for the Lower Mississippi Valley but the moisture from the sea breeze will continue to keep fire potential moderate.
| Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk |
3 | States currently reporting large fires: |
| Total number of active large fires Total does not include individual fires within complexes. |
67 | |
| Acres from active fires | 2,271,843 | |
| Fires contained | 7 |
Year-to-date statistics
| 2024 (1/1/24-8/15/24) | Fires: 29,917 | Acres: 5,382,815 |
| 2023 (1/1/23-8/15/23) | Fires: 34,650 | Acres: 1,628,275 |
| 2022 (1/1/22-8/15/22) | Fires: 40,262 | Acres: 5,917,086 |
| 2021 (1/1/21-8/15/21) | Fires: 40,364 | Acres: 3,958,076 |
| 2020 (1/1/20-8/15/20) | Fires: 35,878 | Acres: 2,388,384 |
| 2019 (1/1/19-8/15/19) | Fires: 30,000 | Acres: 3,677,237 |
| 2018 (1/1/18-8/15/18) | Fires: 43,255 | Acres: 5,702,368 |
| 2017 (1/1/17-8/15/17) | Fires: 42,010 | Acres: 6,299,005 |
| 2016 (1/1/16-8/15/16) | Fires: 37,407 | Acres: 3,889,265 |
| 2015 (1/1/15-8/15/15) | Fires: 40,267 | Acres: 6,840,968 |
| 2014 (1/1/14-8/15/14) | Fires: 36,481 | Acres: 2,584,824 |
10-year average Year-to-Date
| 2014-2023 | Fires: 37,829 | Acres: 4,271,274 |
Source: NIFC
