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September 3, 2024 - Wildland fire managers across the West are preparing for an increase in fire activity this week. Dry lightning in several areas combined with hot and dry 
conditions later this week could lead to new ignitions with the potential for them to become large fires.
As we head into September, 51 large active wildfires are being managed with full suppression strategies. Current wildfires have burned 1,777,297 acres. More than 14,800 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildfires nationwide. Resources assigned to incidents include 20 complex and one Type 1 incident management teams, 311 crews, 736 engines, and 88 helicopters.
Many parts of the country are reporting extremely dry fuels with temperatures starting to climb again. Multiple geographic areas continue to fight fires that threaten homes and present major challenges to containment. It's important for all of us to maintain heightened awareness of any possible sources of ignition.
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.
An upper-level low will move through the northern Rockies today, with isolated mixed wet and dry thunderstorms moving from northeast Oregon into central Idaho this morning. Isolated to scattered mixed wet and dry thunderstorms will develop this afternoon from east-central Idaho into much of Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. Breezy and dry westerly winds creating elevated conditions are likely across eastern Nevada, northwest Utah, and the Snake River Plain into Wyoming, with dry southerly winds on portions of the central Plains. Very low relative humidity as low as 5% will return to much of Nevada, northern California, southeast Oregon, and southern Idaho, with poor overnight recovery of 15-35% for mid-slopes and ridges. The Southwest will continue to be drier due to a break in the monsoon, with the driest conditions in southeast California and Arizona as relative humidity falls into the single digits and teens. Widespread showers and thunderstorms will continue across much of Texas today, with more isolated showers and thunderstorms in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Cool but very dry air will continue to spread across the Midwest into the Appalachians, with the driest air in the Upper Ohio Valley as relative humidity falls as low as 20%.
| Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk |
13 | States currently reporting large fires: |
| Total number of active large fires Total does not include individual fires within complexes. |
51 | |
| Acres from active fires | 1,777,297 | |
| Fires contained | 5 |
Year-to-date statistics
| 2024 (1/1/24-9/03/24) | Fires: 34,126 | Acres: 6,459,301 |
| 2023 (1/1/23-9/03/23) | Fires: 39,965 | Acres: 2,081,130 |
| 2022 (1/1/22-9/03/22) | Fires: 48,720 | Acres: 6,207,854 |
| 2021 (1/1/21-9/03/21) | Fires: 43,250 | Acres: 5,024,744 |
| 2020 (1/1/20-9/03/20) | Fires: 40,528 | Acres: 4,434,509 |
| 2019 (1/1/19-9/03/19) | Fires: 34,209 | Acres: 4,106,653 |
| 2018 (1/1/18-9/03/18) | Fires: 45,885 | Acres: 6,961,533 |
| 2017 (1/1/17-9/03/17) | Fires: 46,951 | Acres: 7,650,844 |
| 2016 (1/1/16-9/03/16) | Fires: 41,312 | Acres: 4,696,856 |
| 2015 (1/1/15-9/03/15) | Fires: 44,129 | Acres: 8,995,323 |
| 2014 (1/1/14-9/03/14) | Fires: 38,869 | Acres: 2,758,113 |
10-year average Year-to-Date
| 2014-2023 | Fires: 42,206 | Acres: 5,187,753 |
Source: NIFC
