National Fire Preparedness Level Raised As Wildfire Activity Increases Across U.S.

ROSEBURG, Ore. — The National Interagency Fire Center raised the national fire preparedness level to 3 on Thursday as wildfire activity continues to increase across several parts of the country.

The preparedness level, measured on a scale from 1 to 5, reflects the amount of wildfire activity happening nationally and the demand for firefighting resources. A move to Level 3 means fire activity is becoming more widespread, with multiple regions relying more heavily on national support.

According to NIFC’s June 18 update, 74 new fires were reported Wednesday, with 27 large fires listed across the country. Nearly 5,000 personnel, including two Complex Incident Management Teams, were assigned to incidents nationwide.

So far in 2026, more than 33,000 fires have burned over 2.6 million acres nationwide. That is above the 10-year average for both the number of fires and acres burned by this point in the year.

Fire activity is currently concentrated in the Northwest, Great Basin, Southwest and Rocky Mountain areas. In the Northwest, new large fires have emerged in both Washington and Oregon, with crews responding to active fire behavior, threatened structures, evacuations and road closures in some areas.

In Oregon, NIFC listed two large fires Thursday. The Cable Creek Fire, a new fire reported eight miles east of Ukiah, was listed at 1,200 acres with no containment. The Old Emigrant Fire, six miles southeast of Pendleton, was listed at 1,500 acres with no containment.

Washington had several large fires listed, including the Kartar, Roza and Tucannon Mutual Aid fires. Additional large fires were reported in states including Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, California and Florida.

Weather remains a concern heading into the weekend. NIFC reported hot and dry conditions across the western third of the United States, with triple-digit heat and very low humidity in the Desert Southwest. Thunderstorms were also expected in parts of the northern Sierra, southeast Arizona, southern New Mexico and west Texas.

While Douglas County is not listed among the current large fire locations in the national report, the increase in national preparedness level is a sign that wildfire season is becoming more active across the West.

Residents are encouraged to stay aware of local fire restrictions, use caution with anything that can spark a fire, and follow official evacuation and incident information from local fire agencies and emergency management officials.