US National Interagency Fire Center Wildfire Update as of February 28

The US National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that as of Friday, February 28, 21 new large fires were reported during the week, with the majority located in the Southern Area and the rest in the Rocky Mountain Area. 100% containment has already been achieved on eight of these fires.

Active fire behavior and threats to structures are reported on several fires throughout the Southern Area. Nationwide, the largest active incident, at 50,000 acres, is the Dismal River Ranch Fire in Nebraska, which is currently 85% contained.

The National Fire Preparedness Level remains at a 1 out of 5.

Daily Statistics

As of Friday, there were a total of 21 large wildfires burning, with four located in Georgia, two each in Alabama and Nebraska, and one each in Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas. There are 56,031 acres actively burning. Wildland firefighters and support personnel have been able to contain eight of fires, 13 of which are being fought under full suppression strategies.

The updated year-to-date comparison is as follows:

• Year-to-date through February 28, 5,245 wildfires have been reported, and they have burned 108,535 acres.
• During the same period last year, 4,252 wildfires were reported, and they had burned 136,069 acres.
• The 10-year average (2015–24) for the same time period is 4,526 wildfires and 108,534 acres burned.