US National Interagency Fire Center Wildfire Update as of May 16

The US National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that in the week ending Friday, May 16, 8 new wildfires were reported nationwide.

A total of 1,653 wildland firefighters and support staff are deployed in response. The National Fire Preparedness Level has been raised to a 2 out of 5.

Wildfire potential is elevated this May in parts of the Southwest, Southern California, Central Florida, and the Northern Plains due to warm, dry, and windy conditions, the NFIC said.

Daily Statistics

As of Friday, there were a total of 8 large new wildfires burning, with all being fought under full suppression strategies. There are currently three wildfires burning in both Arizona and Minnesota and one each in North Carolina and North Dakota.

There are a total of 52,346 acres burning, with only one out of eight fires partially contained.

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

• Year-to-date through May 16, 25,619 wildfires have been reported, and they have burned 1,087,958 acres.
• During the same period last year, 10,124 wildfires were reported, and they had burned 1,868,179 acres.
• The 10-year average (2015–24) for the same time period is 18,465 wildfires and 1,025,223 acres burned.