So far in 2025, 46,503 wildfires have burned more than 4.1 million acres. Nearly 117,700 wildland firefighters and support personnel are on incidents nationwide. Every fire prevented lightens their load and helps keep communities safer.
As we head into Labor Day weekend, many of us are looking forward to time outdoors with family and friends. Whether you’re camping, towing a boat, or grilling in the backyard, please remember that most wildfires are human-caused and preventable. Make sure campfires are dead out, secure trailer chains so they don’t spark, and never leave barbeques or burn piles unattended. Simple choices like these protect the landscapes we love and help firefighters focus on naturally ignited fires.
Drone safety is another important reminder. So far this year, 32 drone incursions have been reported near active wildfires. That’s an increase from 21 at this time last year. While a spike in California during January added to this year’s totals, the upward trend is clear: unauthorized drones continue to put lives and suppression efforts at risk.
Drone flights over wildfires are illegal, dangerous, and can stall critical air operations. Let’s help keep the skies clear and protect the people working to protect us all. Watch and share our latest PSA: Know Before You Fly – Wildfire Drone Safety
The 2025 National Fire Year Themes highlight that it takes all of us: protecting firefighters and the public, working together to safeguard communities, reducing smoke impacts, and acting responsibly on our public lands. The choices you make this holiday weekend can truly make a difference.
Weather
Monsoon moisture will exit the West on Saturday with showers and thunderstorms pushing east into the Central Plains. Minimum RH will continue its slow decline across the West falling to the low teens in California and the Inland Northwest, but minimums are likely to remain in the low 20% for the central/eastern Great Basin and Rockies. Temperatures will gradually warm to near to above normal across the Inland Northwest and Northern California with areas further east still struggling to hit normal. Winds are expected to remain generally light across the West as the ridge of high pressure expands northward. In the eastern US, cooler/drier conditions are expected in the northern tier behind Friday’s cold front. RH will remain elevated in the Northeast but could be as low as 30% from the Mid-Atlantic to the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys. Scattered thunderstorms will develop on the Plains, with the focus on North Texas, then extend along the Gulf Coast into Florida. South Texas is expected to remain dry.
Daily statistics
Number of new large fires or emergency response * New fires are identified with an asterisk
