The Pacific Northwest remains the nation's most active wildfire region as of Monday, August 24, 2026, with 29 large fires burning across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho and 11 complex incident management teams assigned to the region, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).

Nationwide, firefighters are battling 79 large fires burning across 3.57 million active acres, with 22,122 fire personnel and support staff currently assigned to incidents. The scale of this season is staggering: year-to-date, the United States has seen 50,580 wildfires consume more than 7.7 million acres — 129% of the 10-year average for fires started, and 169% of the 10-year average for acres burned.

Oregon Leads the Nation in Large Fire Count

Oregon currently has 15 large fires on the active list — the highest of any state in the country — followed by Washington with 13 and Idaho with 11. Together, the three Pacific Northwest states account for nearly half of all large fires burning nationally.

The largest active fires in the Northwest as of August 23, 2026 include:

  • Big Grass Fire (Oregon/Idaho border): 578,637 acres, 93% contained
  • Rowe Creek Complex (Central Oregon): 373,981 acres, 91% contained
  • Little Giant Fire (Chelan County, WA): 142,218 acres, 15% contained
  • Kaiser Canyon Fire (Colville, WA): 138,284 acres, 98% contained
  • Second Flat Fire (Burns District, OR): 105,854 acres, 96% contained
  • Grasshopper Fire (Mt. Hood NF, OR): 93,562 acres, 76% contained
  • 0587 Shingle Fire (Fossil Unit, OR): 73,183 acres, 93% contained
  • Hagen Fire (Umatilla NF, OR): 59,559 acres, 19% contained
  • Wrights Spring Fire (Fremont-Winema NF, OR): 54,325 acres, 55% contained

New Ignitions Continue

Despite progress on several large fires, new ignitions continue to add to the burden. On Saturday, August 23, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest logged 16 wildfire responses in a single day, with multiple additional smoke reports received Sunday morning. Overnight fires in Baker and Grant counties — the McCully Fire (2,400 acres) and North Pole Fire (300 acres) — triggered fresh evacuation orders as of early Monday.

A new fire called the Colwash Fire ignited in the Yakama Agency area of Washington, estimated at 4,000 acres with zero containment, while a new Fraser Fire was reported near Mountain Home, Idaho.

Fire Weather Persists

An upper-level trough is passing north of Montana, generating fast-moving, moisture-starved thunderstorms over parts of the Northern Rockies and eastern Pacific Northwest. The storms bring lightning risk without meaningful precipitation — a dangerous combination on landscapes already parched after a historically dry summer.

Temperatures across the Intermountain West are forecast in the mid-80s to mid-90s, with relative humidity dropping to 8–20%. Gusty afternoon winds are expected through the Great Basin and into the eastern Northern Rockies.

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group (NMAC) has maintained National Preparedness Level 5 — the highest possible — since late July. At PL5, resources are triaged nationally and allocated to the fires where they are needed most.

Officials urge anyone near active fire areas to stay informed through local emergency management channels, sign up for county emergency alerts, and monitor air quality at fire.airnow.gov.