The 2026 wildfire season is shaping up to be one of the most active on record, and we have not yet reached the summer solstice. As of Thursday, June 18, the United States has recorded 33,349 fires that have burned more than 2.6 million acres — nearly double the 10-year average of 1.6 million acres for the same date range.

By the Numbers

Comparing year-to-date statistics from NIFC:

  • 2026: 33,349 fires / 2,627,549 acres
  • 2025: 32,305 fires / 1,335,160 acres
  • 2024: 19,034 fires / 2,128,208 acres
  • 10-year average: 24,685 fires / 1,611,629 acres

2026 is running more than 60 percent above the 10-year average in total acres burned and significantly above every recent year except 2022, which saw 3.1 million acres burned by June 18.

Pacific Northwest Outlook

Forecasters from the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center and NIFC project above-normal fire potential for Oregon, Washington, and Idaho through at least August. The key drivers:

  • Drought: Large portions of eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and southern Idaho remain in Moderate to Severe drought, with soil moisture deficits that are difficult to reverse in a single season
  • Below-normal snowpack: Reduced snowpack in the Cascades and Blue Mountains means earlier fuel dry-out and reduced soil moisture during the critical summer months
  • Early fuel curing: Annual grasses in the Columbia Basin and Snake River Plain cured weeks ahead of their historical average, extending the window of extreme fire spread potential
  • Elevated temperatures: Seasonal temperature forecasts show above-normal conditions through summer, increasing evapotranspiration and accelerating fuel moisture loss

Idaho Also at Risk

Idaho is not immune to the current fire environment. The Median Fire burning four miles northwest of Wendell in Gooding County has grown to 8,624 acres with zero containment as of Thursday. Fires in Idaho’s Snake River Plain are exhibiting rapid growth in cheatgrass and shrub-steppe fuels, a pattern fire managers expect to continue throughout the summer.

What This Means for Communities

Fire researchers have documented that heat waves disproportionately shape daily fire activity in the West, with nonforest areas of the Intermountain West — particularly northern Nevada, southern Idaho, and eastern Oregon — showing the highest proportion of warm-season burned area occurring during heat wave conditions. This means Pacific Northwest communities can expect not just a longer fire season, but one punctuated by intense, fast-moving episodes tied to heat events.

Local fire agencies, emergency managers, and state forestry departments are urging all residents in fire-prone areas to:

  • Complete defensible space work on their properties now
  • Create and practice household evacuation plans
  • Assemble an emergency go-bag and have it ready
  • Know their evacuation zone level and how to receive emergency alerts
  • Avoid any activities that could cause ignitions during Red Flag Warning conditions

The 2026 fire season has only just begun. With the hottest and driest months still ahead, early preparation is the most effective tool communities have to reduce loss of life and property.