August 16, 2026 – On Saturday, the National Interagency Fire Center reported the following: Yesterday, 125 new fires were reported nationwide, including three
new large fires. Firefighters are currently working to contain 88 uncontained large fires, with 29,363 personnel assigned to incidents nationwide. These firefighters and support personnel working across the country to protect communities, critical infrastructure and public lands remain the backbone of the nation’s wildfire response.
International partners are also providing critical support as fire activity remains high. Earlier this week, another group of firefighters and fire management specialists from Australia and New Zealand arrived at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Three 15-member incident management teams and 196 fireline management personnel from Australia and New Zealand are now assigned to support large fires in the Northwest and Great Basin geographic areas.
Two Large Airtankers and one Birddog from Manitoba, Canada, have also deployed to Boise in support of wildland fire operations. These international resources supplement the thousands of American firefighters and support personnel already working on incidents nationwide. Learn more about international support…