Yesterday, 104 new fires were reported nationwide, including six new large fires. Currently, firefighters are working to contain 36 large fires across the country.
The largest fire currently burning in the nation remains the Cottonwood Fire near Beaver Utah, although fire behavior and resulting growth was moderated somewhat by precipitation over the fire area yesterday. Firefighters are making progress on containment across seven geographic areas, from Florida to Alaska.
So far this year, 35,247 fires have burned more than 2.9 million acres nationwide.
Wildland fire does not follow state lines, and neither does wildland fire response. Firefighters, engines, aircraft and incident management teams are part of a national system designed to move resources where they are needed most. When one area experiences high fire activity, resources may be temporarily reassigned from areas with lower activity. This allows for faster response, stronger support, and safer operations during periods of increased demand.
Resource movement is a sign of coordination and preparedness. It reflects a shared national commitment to support firefighters and communities, no matter where fires occur.
Weather
A significant pattern change will take shape across the West today, with extremely critical fire weather quickly developing in areas that picked up abundant lightning the last day or two. Relative humidity as low as 3-10% and southwesterly wind gusts from 30-50 mph will be common in the lee of the southern Sierra through much of southern Nevada, northwestern Arizona and Utah. Lightning holdovers are likely to emerge, and established fires may see explosive, wind-driven growth. Hot temperatures will prevail in these areas, but much cooler air will overspread the northern Intermountain West behind a cold front that will bring a problematic wind shift to portions of the Great Basin late in the day. While it will be windy across the rest of California and along the Sierra Front, humidity will be less critical than farther south or east. Scattered mixed wet and dry thunderstorms will continue from eastern Arizona into New Mexico and portions of the West Slope, potentially contributing to additional new fire starts and gusty outflow winds. Showers and Pacific moisture will bring moderating conditions from the Northwest to the northern Rockies. Look for hot, dry and breezy conditions in the Mid-Atlantic states, while sea breezes will kick off scattered thunderstorms in the coastal Southeast. Alaska will continue to see widely scattered thunderstorms, with the driest and warmest conditions persisting in the northwestern Interior.
Approximately three miles west of Darwin Ranch, near upper Gros Ventre Falls in the Gros Ventre Wilderness on the Jackson Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest (34 Miles NW of Cora, WY)
