U.S. wildfire season exceeds 10-year average as 99 large fires burn
Source: www.axios.com ·
Section: politics ·
Bias: Center-Left
· Published: Mon, 03 Aug 2026 00:12:41 GMT
Wildfires in Washington and Oregon have forced evacuations, caused power outages, and burned hundreds of thousands of acres as firefighters battle dozens of massive fires across the Pacific Northwest.Why it matters: The blazes are among 99 active large fires burning across the U.S. as this year's wildfire season exceeds the 10-year average for both the number of fires and the acres burned, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.So far this year, 45,835 fires have burned more than 5.2 million acres across the U.S., the NIFC says.State of play: Washington has 17 active large fires. In the Spokane area, three major blazes — known collectively as the Spokane Complex Fire — have forced some 60,000 people to evacuate, knocked out power to thousands more, and destroyed about 640 structures, officials said Sunday.Gov. Bob Ferguson on Saturday declared a statewide emergency, saying it was "due to our drought conditions, unusually high temperatures and high winds all exacerbating our record-setting wildfires."Oregon has 32 active large fires — the most of any state. Fresh fires ignited Saturday, sparking new evacuation orders.With nearly two months left in the traditional fire season, Oregon set a modern record for acres burned, according to the Statesman Journal and Central Oregon Daily, citing Northwest Coordination Center data.Zoom out: Idaho and Montana each have seven active large fires, per the NIFC. Minnesota and California each have six, Colorado and Nevada each have five, while Florida and Utah have three apiece. Alaska, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming each have one.Between the lines: Climate change is contributing to larger, more frequent wildfires across much of the U.S. West, studies show. It is also increasing the frequency of critical fire weather and driving more extreme fire behavior, making fires harder to contain.What we're watching: Wildfires and poor air quality are expected to continue across the Pacific Northwest, the Rockies and parts of the Plains, according to the National Weather Service.A red flag warning has been issued for Oregon's southern Willamette Valley from 1-8pm local time Monday, while a fire weather watch has been issued for Tuesday in the western Columbia River Gorge.Go deeper: The health risks of wildfire smoke and air quality
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