Click Here for California Fires
August 29, 2024 - As of this morning, 46 large active wildfires are being managed with full suppression strategies nationwide. Current wildfires have burned 1,823,499 acres. 
16,645 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildfires, including 20 complex and one Type 1 incident management teams, 383 crews, 684 engines, 93 helicopters, and one Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS). Evacuation orders are in effect on eight fires.
Late summer and fall are characterized by extremely dry fuels in many parts of the country, and multiple geographic areas continue to fight fires that threaten homes and present major challenges to containment. Even if temperatures are coming down in your area, maintain heightened awareness of any possible sources of ignition. Ensure your vehicle is in good working order and secure any chains or anything that could drag and spark. Planning a Labor Day camping trip? Commit to practicing excellent campfire and/or barbeque safety. Watch for sparks, embers, and wind, and make sure your fire or grill is cool to the touch before you walk away from it.
Sixty fireline management personnel from Australia and New Zealand are assigned to support large fires in the Northwest Area. For more information about the mobilization of wildland firefighters from Australia and New Zealand visit the international support page.
Two hundred forty-five soldiers from the 14th Brigade Engineer Battalion and the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment based out of Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) are deployed in support of wildland fire operations on the Boise National Forest. NIMO (Team 2) is assigned to support the military contingent. To learn more about military mobilizations, visit the military support page.
Note: Given the very high tempo and scale of national fire activity over the past few months, there have been delays in reconciling actual acreage burned with entries into the reporting systems, especially from areas with large fires and dynamic fire activity. Adjustments are occurring as the accuracy of fire locations, mapping and final fire reporting is reconciled.
Upper-level ridging is forecast to build north through the Sierra into the Cascades Thursday. Above normal temperatures will continue in California, Arizona, and western Nevada, spreading north into western Washington and Oregon. Winds overall will be light but locally breezy easterly winds around 10 mph are possible in favored areas on the west slopes of the Cascades. Very dry air is likely to spread into much of the Intermountain West as well, with minimum relative humidity of 5-20% and fair to poor overnight recovery for much of California, the Inland Northwest, Great Basin, Wyoming, and the West Slope. Higher humidity is expected across central/eastern Montana despite breezy northwesterly post-frontal winds, and southeastern Arizona into New Mexico where isolated to scattered monsoon thunderstorms are forecast. Hot temperatures and low relative humidity will continue for another day in much of Tennessee, northern Alabama, northern Mississippi, and central Appalachians while moisture continues to increase closer to the Gulf Coast and much of the southern Plains. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will develop in the afternoon, with areas of wetting rain, although new ignitions remain possible. Scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms will develop along and ahead of a cold front moving through the Texas Panhandle, central Plains, Upper Mississippi Valley, and western Great Lakes.
Daily statistics
| Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk |
2 | States currently reporting large fires: |
| Total number of active large fires | 46 | |
| Acres from active fires | 1,823,499 | |
| Fires contained | 2 |
Year-to-date statistics
| 2024 (1/1/24-8/29/24) | Fires: 33,320 | Acres: 6,429,540 |
| 2023 (1/1/23-8/29/23) | Fires: 39,176 | Acres: 1,990,111 |
| 2022 (1/1/22-8/29/22) | Fires: 48,057 | Acres: 7,330,847 |
| 2021 (1/1/21-8/29/21) | Fires: 42,423 | Acres: 4,903,822 |
| 2020 (1/1/20-8/29/20) | Fires: 39,613 | Acres: 3,952,925 |
| 2019 (1/1/19-8/29/19) | Fires: 33,234 | Acres: 4,042,018 |
| 2018 (1/1/18-8/29/18) | Fires: 43,448 | Acres: 6,523,046 |
| 2017 (1/1/17-8/29/17) | Fires: 45,981 | Acres: 6,851,908 |
| 2016 (1/1/16-8/29/16) | Fires: 39,977 | Acres: 4,513,647 |
| 2015 (1/1/15-8/29/15) | Fires: 43,511 | Acres: 7,981,162 |
| 2014 (1/1/14-8/29/14) | Fires: 38,360 | Acres: 2,714,468 |
10-year average Year-to-Date
| 2014-2023 | Fires: 41,206 | Acres: 4,923,933 |
Source: NIFC
