National Wildfire Activity Remains at Peak Levels
August 7, 2026
National wildfire activity remains at Preparedness Level 5 as firefighters continue working across a broad swath of the country. Despite progress on several long-running incidents, the overall demand for firefighting resources increased during the past week.
As of August 7, 95 large fires remain uncontained nationwide, compared with 87 one week ago. More than 30,100 personnel are currently assigned to incidents—an increase of approximately 3,450 since July 31.
The number of engines committed nationally climbed from 1,599 to 1,897 during the same period, an increase of nearly 19%. Crews increased from 566 to 635, while the acreage associated with active incidents grew from approximately 2.86 million to 3.44 million acres.
The Northwest remains one of the country’s most active regions. Oregon and Washington account for 47 of the large fires currently listed by the National Interagency Fire Center. The Northwest Area remains at Preparedness Level 5 with 48 uncontained large fires, 1,161 engines and more than 18,600 personnel committed.
Thirteen new large incidents were reported nationally during the latest reporting period, including five in the Northwest. A new incident management team is mobilizing to the Wrights Spring Fire near Chiloquin, Oregon, where extreme fire behavior and spotting have been reported.
Year to date, 45,502 wildfires have burned approximately 5.67 million acres. That represents 127% of the ten-year average number of fires and 144% of the average acreage burned by this date.
Hot, dry and unstable conditions are expected to continue across much of the West. Very low humidity, poor overnight recovery and locally breezy winds will maintain the potential for active fire behavior and new ignitions.
Although containment continues to increase on some established fires, the national figures show that the demand for resources has not yet begun a broad seasonal decline. Firefighting personnel and equipment remain heavily committed as the West continues through the heart of fire season.
Source: National Interagency Coordination Center, Incident Management Situation Report, August 7, 2026.