Yesterday, 92 new fires were reported nationwide, including three new large fires. Firefighters are currently working to contain 77 large fires, with 18,401 firefighters and support personnel assigned to incidents nationwide.
Due to improving fire weather conditions across multiple geographic areas, increased availability of most nationally shared resource types, and a significant decline in resource ordering through the National Interagency Coordination Center, the National Preparedness Level decreased to four (PL 4), effective September 4 at 7:30 a.m. MDT, after 48 consecutive days at national PL 5.
The National Multiagency Coordinating Group (NMAC), composed of wildland fire representatives from each agency at NIFC, establishes the national preparedness level. Factors they consider include number of IMTs committed, total number of resources committed, how many large fires are burning, how many geographic areas have activity, and the time of year, plus any unusual circumstances identified by this group of seasoned fire managers. Explore PL information.
So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 52,939 wildfires that have burned more than 8.2 million acres across the United States.
Weather
High-risk conditions continue across parts of Wyoming and eastern Montana due to continuing hot, dry, and breezy conditions, with temperatures reaching 90-100°F, RH lowering to 8-20%, and winds gusts of 20-40mph. Moderate to high-risk conditions also continue across the Southern Plains and Mississippi Valley again today with highs reaching 100°F and locally breezy winds, extending over Oklahoma and Kansas amid RH of 25-30%. Dry and breezy winds, albeit cooler, continue over parts of the Great Basin maintain moderate conditions there. Across the Pacific Northwest, western Northern Rockies, and Northern California, large fire potential continues to decrease as showers with cooler temperatures spread across the area. Showers and thunderstorms continue across the Southwest. National Predictive Services Outlook (7-Day Significant Fire Potential Outlook)
