US National Interagency Fire Center Wildfire Update as of September 23rd

The US National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that as of Monday, September 23rd, 42 large active wildfires are being managed with full suppression strategies nationwide. Current wildfires have burned 1,656,005 acres.

The National Wildfire Preparedness Level has been lowered to a 4 out of 5. Almost 15,056 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents, including 15 complex and 2 type-1 incident management teams, 323 crews, 605 engines, and 99 helicopters.

NIFC notes that as firefighters get wildfires under control, another group of experts move into the area to start the healing of the land. After a wildfire, the land may need to be stabilized to prevent loss of topsoil through erosion and prevent the movement of dirt into rivers and streams. Land management specialists and volunteers jump-start the renewal of plant life through seeding and planting annuals, trees, and native species that help retain soil and fight invasive weeds. It is a long-term process that comes alive as the fires die down. Check out the work Burned Area Emergency Response teams are doing in many states on InciWeb.

Daily Statistics

As of Monday, there were 3 large new fires, and in total there are 42 active large wildfires that have burned 1,656,005 acres in 11 states. Oregon is reporting the most wildfires with 16, followed by Idaho with 11; California with 5; Montana with 4; Arizona and Wyoming with 3 each; Colorado and Washington with 2 each; and Oklahoma, Nebraska, and South Dakota with 1 each. Only 1 of the 42 wildfires is being reported as contained.

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

• Year-to-date through September 23rd, 37,806 wildfires were reported, and they have burned 7,334,054 acres.
• During the same period last year, 44,155 wildfires were reported, and they had burned 2,375,798 acres.
• The 10-year average (2014–23) for the same period is 45,248 wildfires and 5,927,533 acres burned.

NIFC notes that there have been delays in reconciling actual acreage burned with entries into reporting systems—especially from areas with large fires and dynamic fire activity—given the very high tempo and scale of national fire activity over the past few months. Adjustments are occurring as the accuracy of fire locations, mapping, and final fire reporting are reconciled.