Yesterday, 113 new fires were reported nationwide, including seven new large fires. Firefighters are currently working to contain 94 large fires, with 21,854 firefighters and support personnel assigned to incidents nationwide.
So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 51,434 wildfires that have burned more than 7.9 million acres across the United States, 127% of the 10-year average for fires and 164% for acres burned.
As of August 23, 73 drone incursions have been reported near wildfires in 2026 – already leaving the end-of-year numbers for recent years far behind. 45 of these incidents occurred in Washington. Drones in the sky present a critical danger to aircraft with people inside; even a very small drone has the potential to damage the tail rotor on a helicopter or incapacitate an engine and cause a fatal accident. Thus, when an unknown drone is spotted near a wildfire, aerial operations are grounded until the skies are clear. That pause may only last a few minutes, but in wildfire response, every minute matters. Protect firefighter safety, ensure they’re able to do their jobs, and avoid a potential costly fine: Know before you fly, and if you're anywhere near wildfire activity, do not fly at all.
Weather
Breezy west-southwest winds with gusts of 35–45 mph and RH of 5–20% will create elevated fire conditions across the Inland Northwest, northern Rockies, and northern Great Basin. Locally critical conditions are possible from northeast California and northwest Nevada into southeast Oregon and southwest Idaho. Scattered mixed wet/dry thunderstorms are expected across western Montana, central/eastern Idaho, and the central Rockies, with drier storms possible in northeast Washington and north Idaho. Isolated mixed wet/dry thunderstorms will also extend from the eastern Sierra through the Great Basin to the West Slope, while wetter storms remain more numerous in Colorado and New Mexico east of the Divide, and the western High Plains. Thunderstorms are expected from south Texas to the Southeast ahead of a slow-moving cold front, with thunderstorm activity increasing into the Mid-Atlantic and portions of the Northeast. Dry, seasonable weather will prevail across the Midwest and Great Lakes.
