Federal Wildfire Preparedness Level rises as early fire season builds across the West

The Silver King Fire burned over 17,000 acres in south-central Utah, last year. Photo: Utah Fire Info

NIFC reports 34 active large fires burning across 31 states as fuel conditions hit historic lows for this time of year

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Federal fire officials raised the nation’s wildfire preparedness level Friday as early-season fire activity expanded across the South and Rocky Mountain regions, marking what they described as a seasonal transition rather than a system under strain.

The National Interagency Fire Center moved to Preparedness Level 2, the second tier on a five-point scale used to track wildfire activity and resource demand nationwide. At this level, active geographic areas may begin drawing on national support to meet incident objectives, though overall resource capacity remains stable.

NIFC’s Friday report documented 821 fires over the past week, including 47 new large incidents. As of the update, 28 large fires remained uncontained, with one incident management team assigned in the Rocky Mountain Area.

Officials also flagged the season’s first Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory, issued on March 18, for a broad stretch of the central and southern Great Plains, spanning parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The advisory covers more than 100 million acres where above-normal grass growth, leftover vegetation from 2025, and newly cured grasses have created conditions NIFC described as historically dry, capable of rapid, wind-driven fire spread.

Fuel moisture in some affected areas is trending near record lows for this time of year, officials said. The agency cited February’s Ranger Road fire — which burned nearly 70 miles in a single day — as an example of how quickly conditions can escalate.

As of March 20, 34 large fires were burning across 31 states, consuming a combined 94,646 acres. Year to date, NIFC has recorded 12,979 fires and more than 1.4 million acres burned — compared with 11,912 fires and roughly 397,000 acres at the same point in 2025.