Resources & Equipment

The National Preparedness Level remains at 3 as 31 large fires burn across the U.S. with 2.7 million acres scorched year-to-date — already surpassing last year's total for the same period. Washington and Oregon are among the most active states.

With more than 5,000 personnel deployed across eight geographic areas and 2.7 million acres burned so far in 2026, the national firefighting system is operating at an elevated tempo heading into peak season.

NIFC elevated the National Preparedness Level to 3 on June 18, deploying nearly 5,000 firefighters to 27 large fires nationwide. The 2026 season has already burned 2.6 million acres, nearly double last year's pace.

NIFC raised the National Preparedness Level to 3 on June 18 as nearly 5,000 firefighters are deployed nationwide. Washington State mobilized strike teams and hand crews for multiple simultaneous fires as resources are stretched thin.

NIFC raised the National Preparedness Level to PL3 on June 18, 2026, as 27 large fires burn uncontained across the nation. With 33,349 fires and 2.6 million acres burned nationwide in 2026 — well above the 10-year average — resource competition between geographic areas is beginning.

The National Interagency Fire Center elevated the National Preparedness Level to PL3 on June 18, citing 27 large active fires, nearly 5,000 firefighters deployed, and growing pressure on national resources from fires in the Northwest, Great Basin, and Southwest.

The Poorman Prescribed Fire on Idaho's Boise National Forest reached 2,692 acres this week, part of a seven-project spring prescribed fire program across the forest aimed at reducing fuels before the peak of a forecast above-normal fire season.

The Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team assumed command of multiple fire incidents across Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla counties over the weekend, deploying aerial resources and strike teams as fires burned in grass and brush fuels.

NIFC is at National Preparedness Level 2 with 2,559 personnel on active incidents nationwide. The Northwest Coordination Center is ramping up as fire season begins in Oregon and Washington, with resource competition expected to intensify through the summer.

With 2,559 personnel already committed to active incidents and the national preparedness level at 2, federal fire agencies are beginning to mobilize resources for what forecasters expect to be an above-average summer fire season across the western United States.

The Boise National Forest completed seven prescribed burns this spring, with the Poorman unit on the Emmett District burning approximately 2,692 acres as part of a broader fuel reduction strategy ahead of peak fire season.

With national preparedness at PL-2 and 2,336 personnel already assigned to incidents nationally, fire agencies across the Pacific Northwest are pre-positioning resources and readying for what forecasters expect to be an active fire season.

June 8 is National Get Outdoors Day. Fire officials urge recreationists heading onto public lands this summer to practice fire-safe habits — the majority of wildland fires are human-caused and preventable.

From hotshot crews completing their pre-season training in Oregon to interagency dispatch centers ramping up coordination, Pacific Northwest fire agencies are mobilizing for what forecasters are calling a potentially significant 2026 fire season.

A prescribed burn on Pine Mountain near Bend, Oregon escaped containment in early May, growing to 2,866 acres before being fully contained by May 12 — highlighting the narrow safety window for planned burns in drought conditions.

Oregon fire agencies and community organizations are pushing to complete prescribed burns and fuels treatment work before summer heat closes treatment windows — but frozen federal grants are complicating the effort.

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has been burning accumulated fuels this spring as part of a prescribed fire program designed to reduce wildfire risk in southern Oregon. The spring burn window is rapidly closing.

The Washington National Guard conducted joint aerial firefighting training in May, while the Washington State Patrol's All-Risk Mobilization Program and DNR report they are pre-positioning resources ahead of what forecasters warn could be a severe 2026 fire season.

NIFC is operating at National Preparedness Level 2 as early-season fire activity builds across multiple regions, with dry lightning threats eyed for Idaho and Montana and critical fire weather ongoing in the Four Corners states.

NIFC holds the nation at Preparedness Level 2 with over 5,000 firefighters assigned to active incidents. Pacific Northwest agencies are mobilizing crews, aircraft, and coordination resources ahead of peak fire season.