US National Interagency Fire Center Wildfire Update for November 21

The US National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that as of Friday, November 21, eight large fires are actively burning across the country. These fires are located across eight states in the Southern and Eastern geographic areas and are making good progress toward containment.

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

The agency noted the importance of geographic information systems on National GIS Day, recognizing GIS staff for their role in wildland fire support. NIFC also highlighted that many land managers are focused on fall fuels-management projects—including prescribed burning—to reduce available vegetation and lower wildfire risk.

Daily Statistics

As of Friday, there are 20 large wildfires or emergency responses ongoing, with 19 partially contained.

Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, and West Virginia each have 1 active fire.

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

• Year-to-date through November 21, 60,851 wildfires have been reported, burning 4,921,035 acres.
• During the same period last year, 44,955 wildfires were reported, burning 8,144,073 acres.
• The 10-year average (2015–24) for the same period is 53,701 wildfires and 7,012,455 acres burned.