National Fire News

National Preparedness Level 2

as of March 20, 2026 at 7:30 a.m. MDT (on a scale from 1 to 5)

Current hours for the National Fire Information Center are
(MST) 8:00 am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday
208-387-5050

This report is currently updated on Fridays.
Please check the IMSR for more information.

April 24, 2026

Fire activity remains steady as we move further into spring. The national preparedness level is 2, with light activity overall and a few areas beginning to see increased fire potential. 

So far this year, 22,658 fires have burned 1,815,628 acres, already above the 10-year average for acres. 

Yesterday, 109 new fires were reported, with six new large fires and 25 uncontained large fires nationwide. Nearly 1,900 personnel are assigned across active incidents. 

The Southern Area remains the most active, with fires in Georgia and Florida showing wind-driven growth and threatening structures. In the Rocky Mountain Area, dry fuels and gusty winds are also contributing to new large fires. 

Elevated to critical fire weather is expected across parts of the High Plains and Four Corners, with strong winds and low humidity. Dry conditions continue in the Southeast, where fire activity remains active. 

Firefighters and support personnel are working together across the country to protect communities and public lands. The public plays a role too.

The 2026 National Fire Year Themes remind us that safety comes first, and that preventing human-caused fires is something we all share. Firefighters and support personnel are working together across agencies to respond quickly and keep fires small, but they cannot do it alone.    

Weather

Widespread elevated to critical are expected across the Greater Four Corners into the central and southern High Plains today as westerly winds of 15-25 mph and gusts to 40 mph develop amid relative humidity of 5-15%. The strongest winds and lowest humidity are most likely in eastern Colorado to northeast New Mexico. Mild and dry conditions are expected across the Northwest while cool temperatures and scattered snow showers continue across Montana and Wyoming. Very dry conditions will persist in the Southeast with minimum relative humidity of 20-30% but winds will remain light outside of sea breezes that develop near the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Locally breezy and dry northwest winds will continue across New England, while dry northwest winds are expected in Minnesota but will be weaker than yesterday. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop ahead of a cold front from East Texas to the Great Lakes, with a few severe thunderstorms likely in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Seasonable temperatures are expected in Alaska with mostly dry conditions while breezy trade winds continue in Hawai’i.

Daily statistics
Number of new large fires or emergency response


* New fires are identified with an asterisk
5 States currently reporting large fires:
Total number of large fires 20
Acres from all active fires 41,963
Fires contained 1
Year-to-date statistics
2026 (1/1/26-4/24/26) Fires: 22,658 Acres: 1,815,628
2025 (1/1/25-4/24/25) Fires: 21,194 Acres: 973,830
2024 (1/1/24-4/24/24) Fires: 11,402 Acres: 1,802,308
2023 (1/1/23-4/24/23) Fires: 12,366 Acres: 387,475
2022 (1/1/22-4/24/22) Fires: 20,262 Acres: 865,290
2021 (1/1/21-4/24/21) Fires: 16,602 Acres: 446,599
2020 (1/1/20-4/24/20) Fires: 11,002 Acres: 216,678
2019 (1/1/19-4/24/19) Fires: 9,433 Acres: 219,438
2018 (1/1/18-4/24/18) Fires: 16,250 Acres: 961,775
2017 (1/1/17-4/24/17) Fires: 17,987 Acres: 2,337,864
2016 (1/1/16-4/24/16) Fires: 14,611 Acres: 1,433,318
10-year average Year-to-Date
2016-2025 Fires: 14,948 Acres: 959,014
Current Wildfires
Fires: 1
Acres: 1,810
New: 0
Contained: 0
Fire Unit Agency Size % Ctn Location Information
Rafey Alabama Forestry Commission ST 1,810 40 Thirty-three miles north of Citronelle, AL
Fires: 2
Acres: 5,244
New: 2
Contained: 0
Fire Unit Agency Size % Ctn Location Information
* 392 Kit Carson County CNTY 344 0 Three miles west of Flagler, CO
* Hammer El Paso County CNTY 4,900 0 Ten miles southeast of Fountain, CO
Fires: 12
Acres: 27,637
New: 0
Contained: 1
Fire Unit Agency Size % Ctn Location Information
139 National Forests in Florida USFS 6,499 50 One mile north of Wilma, FL
Cow Creek Florida Forest Service ST 2,000 40 Eleven miles south of Bronson, FL
Griffis National Forests in Florida USFS 3 99 One mile southwest of Water Town, FL
Gun Range National Forests in Florida USFS 129 50 Osceola National Forest 386-342-2181
MM 45 Broward 06 Florida Forest Service ST 9,600 95 Twenty-seven miles north of Homestead, FL
Mill Pond National Forests in Florida USFS 1,760 70 Three miles south of Telogia, FL
N Main St 2 Florida Forest Service ST 106 75 Thirty-six miles north of Ocala, FL
Railroad Florida Forest Service ST 4,406 60 Ten miles north of Palatka, FL
SR 26 Florida Forest Service ST 302 70 Six miles east of Gainesville, FL
Sand Beach Florida Forest Service ST 253 50 Two miles east of Creel, FL
Sand Drain National Forests in Florida USFS 56 80 Osceola National Forest 386-342-2181
Sargent National Forests in Florida USFS 2,523 81 One mile south of Sargent, FL
Crews Rd 10 Florida Forest Service ST 1,700 100 Twenty-three miles northeast of Green Cove Springs, FL
Fires: 1
Acres: 1,241
New: 0
Contained: 0
Fire Unit Agency Size % Ctn Location Information
East Side Custer Gallatin National Forest USFS 1,241 21 South of Red Lodge on the east side of Hwy 212 406-468-1904
Fires: 1
Acres: 748
New: 0
Contained: 0
Fire Unit Agency Size % Ctn Location Information
Rosindale Road North Carolina Forest Service ST 748 75 Eight miles north of Lake Waccamaw, NC
Fires: 1
Acres: 860
New: 1
Contained: 0
Fire Unit Agency Size % Ctn Location Information
* Lemon 2 Fort Totten Agency BIA 860 65 Two miles northwest of Fort Totten, ND
Fires: 2
Acres: 4,423
New: 2
Contained: 0
Fire Unit Agency Size % Ctn Location Information
* Murphy South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression ST 423 10 Two miles northwest of Hermosa, SD
* Taber Rec Bon Homme CNTY 4,000 19 Ten miles south of Taber, SD