67 large wildfires burning across the United States
Image credit: Bureau of Land Management Fire
More than 14 000 firefighters and support personnel are battling 67 large wildfires raging across the United States. An undermined number of homes have been lost and thousands more are threatened.
67 large fires have so far burned more than 371 000 ha (917 000 acres) of land in the United States, The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reports.
Of those, 13 are burning in Idaho, 13 in Arizona, 12 in Montana, 8 in California, 6 in Alaska, 6 in Oregon, 3 in Washington, 2 in Wyoming, and one each in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Minnesota.
New large fires were reported in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon on July 13.
Type 1 and Type 2 Incident Management Teams are assigned to 24 large fires or complexes, with more than 14 200 wildland firefighters and support personnel are assigned to incidents, NIFC said.
"As record temperatures continue across many states, it's important to remember that we all play a valuable role in wildfire prevention. The national average of human-caused wildfires comprises 87% of all wildfire occurrences every year. Most of these fires can be prevented. Please Recreate Responsibly while enjoying your public lands."
The U.S. has seen a total of 33 953 wildfires from January 1 to July 13, 2021, with a total area burned 834 078 ha (2 061 054 acres). The 10-year average (2010 – 2020) to date is 29 837 wildfires and 1 190 067 ha (2 940 721 aces).
The largest fire in the country on July 14 is Bootleg Fire in the Fremont-Winema National Forest in southern Oregon, near the California border.
This fire continues to burn actively, approximately 18 km (11 miles) northeast of the town of Sprague River.
Smoke from the fire is highly visible from Oregon State Highway 140, Sprague River Highway, Chiloquin, and the surrounding area.
Authorities said drivers should expect increased traffic in the area from fire equipment and urged them to use caution driving in the area.
As of July 13, the fire scorched 81 715 ha (201 923 acres) of land, with 20 234 ha (50 000 acres) on July 12 alone. It's still 0% contained.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
