US National Interagency Fire Center Wildfire Update for April 17

The US National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that as of Friday, April 17, 144 new fires and 3 new large incidents were reported during the week. Currently, 23 large fires are uncontained

The National Fire Preparedness Level remains at 2 out of 5. Most activity has been concentrated in the Southern Area, where all incidents are being managed under a full suppression strategy.

A Fuel and Fire Behavior Advisory has been issued for the Southeastern Area, where persistent dry weather and intensifying drought are contributing to historically dry fuels from the southern Appalachians into the coastal Southeast.

Daily Statistics

As of Friday, there are 21 large wildfires or emergency responses ongoing, with 5 contained.

Washington leads with 8 large fires; California, Idaho, and Oregon each have 3; Montana has 2; and Wyoming and Hawaii each have 1.

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

• Year-to-date through April 17, 20,915 wildfires have been reported, burning 1,748,490 acres.
• During the same period last year, 19,512 wildfires were reported, burning 881,249 acres.
• The 10-year average (2015–24) for the same period is 13,597 wildfires and 875,957 acres burned.