A multi-day fire-weather setup is developing across the Southwest, Great Basin and central Rockies, where the Storm Prediction Center and local National Weather Service offices forecast strong southwest winds, very low humidity, dry fuels and isolated dry thunderstorms through at least Tuesday, June 9.
A new study found that 335 million ha (828 million ha) burned worldwide in 2025, the second-lowest global wildfire total since 2002 and 16% below the long-term average. Despite that, 2025 became the costliest year on record for insured wildfire losses globally, with more than 300 000 evacuations and over 90 fatalities linked to major fires in Canada, the United States, Europe, and South Korea.
A 40-year-old firefighter lost his life after a sudden medical emergency while battling a wildfire in Moschelle in Annapolis County on May 21, 2026.
Critical fire weather conditions are forecast across a corridor from northwestern Nevada into southeastern Oregon on Monday afternoon, May 25, with sustained southwesterly winds of 32–40 km/h (20–25 mph), minimum RH of 10–15%, and recent fire activity showing fuels becoming more receptive to wildfire spread. NWS offices issued Fire Weather Watches for parts of northern Nevada, northeastern California, and the West Humboldt Basin for Monday afternoon and evening.
The Sandy Fire, discovered at around 10:50 local time (LT) on May 18, 2026, has burned more than 526 ha (1 300 acres) across Simi Valley in Ventura County, California, forcing mandatory evacuations for more than 10 000 homes and triggering warnings for thousands more as firefighters battle rapid fire spread driven by dry and windy conditions.
A record-breaking wildfire burning on California’s Santa Rosa Island has scorched more than 5 900 ha (14 600 acres) and continues to threaten rare Torrey pine trees, endangered plant species, and historic structures.
A State of Disaster Emergency has been declared for the state of Colorado due to the rapidly growing Sharpe Fire that has scorched 11 400 ha (28 000 acres). Mandatory evacuations were issued for Campo and surrounding rural areas in southeastern Colorado after the Sharpe Fire crossed from Oklahoma under critical fire weather conditions on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) placed 80 780 km² (31 190 mi²) of the southern High Plains under an Extremely Critical fire-weather outlook for Sunday, May 17, 2026, warning that dangerous wildfire spread conditions are expected across extreme eastern New Mexico, the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles, extreme southeastern Colorado, and far southwestern Kansas.
Dry lightning, severe outflow winds, single-digit to teen relative humidity, and receptive fuels created Critical fire weather conditions across parts of the Plains and southern High Plains on May 15, 2026.
Wildfires burning across the Texas Panhandle and eastern New Mexico have scorched more than 18 000 ha (44 500 acres) since May 14, prompting evacuations near Amarillo and along the New Mexico–Texas border
