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August 30, 2024 - At this time, 46 large active wildfires are being managed with full suppression strategies nationwide. Current wildfires have burned 1,801,167 acres. 16,736 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildfires, including 19 complex and one Type 1 incident management teams, 360 crews, 638 engines, 87 helicopters, and one Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS). Evacuation orders are in effect on seven 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.
Planning a Labor Day camping trip? Always check for local fire restrictions before starting any outdoor activity. If fire bans are in place, respect them. 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.
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.
A backdoor cold front will bring increased low-level moisture in New Mexico today, but much drier air will spread across much of the rest of the West from the West Coast to Montana, Wyoming, and the West Slope. Minimum relative humidity of 12-25% is forecast west of the Cascades, while 4-20% is forecast across the rest of the West outside New Mexico, lowest in the Great Basin, Wyoming, and West Slope. Poor overnight recovery below 30% will occur for mid-slopes and ridges as well, with portions of central/eastern Oregon, the Great Basin, Wyoming, and West Slope remaining below 20%. Temperatures 5-20 degrees above normal will spread throughout the Intermountain West, with the greatest anomalies west of the Cascades. Near to below normal temperatures are expected in New Mexico behind the front, where scattered to widespread wet thunderstorms will develop. Thermal troughing is also expected near the Cascades enhancing low-level instability. The cold front in the central US will progress into Texas, the Mid-Mississippi Valley, and Great Lakes with scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms expected along the front. Southerly flow will bring higher relative humidity into the Ohio Valley, Deep South, and Carolinas, generally above 35%. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will develop in these areas as well, with the most widespread thunderstorms in southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi.
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. |
46 | |
Acres from active fires | 1,801,167 | |
Fires contained | 1 |
Year-to-date statistics
2024 (1/1/24-8/30/24) | Fires: 33,484 | Acres: 6,304,475 |
2023 (1/1/23-8/30/23) | Fires: 39,299 | Acres: 2,007,395 |
2022 (1/1/22-8/30/22) | Fires: 42,412 | Acres: 6,137,232 |
2021 (1/1/21-8/30/21) | Fires: 42,647 | Acres: 4,879,574 |
2020 (1/1/20-8/30/20) | Fires: 39,829 | Acres: 3,980,809 |
2019 (1/1/19-8/30/19) | Fires: 33,400 | Acres: 4,054,825 |
2018 (1/1/18-8/30/18) | Fires: 43,556 | Acres: 6,536,006 |
2017 (1/1/17-8/30/17) | Fires: 46,267 | Acres: 6,974,447 |
2016 (1/1/16-8/30/16) | Fires: 40,128 | Acres: 4,556,527 |
2015 (1/1/15-8/30/15) | Fires: 43,606 | Acres: 8,122,876 |
2014 (1/1/14-8/30/14) | Fires: 38,454 | Acres: 2,731,359 |
10-year average Year-to-Date
2014-2023 | Fires: 41,378 | Acres: 5,080,395 |
Source: NIFC