These are the 10 Largest Wildfires in 2026 So far

Wildfire season typically lasts from May through November in the United States, and as the end of the season approaches, it is becoming clear that 2026 will likely go down as the worst fire season in recent memory. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, nearly 63,000 wildfires have burned more than 9 million acres of land area nationwide since January 1, 2026. The total number of wildfires this year and the total impacted acreage exceed the 10-year averages by 35% and 47%, respectively.

While 2026 has had more wildfires between January and early October than the comparable period in any other year since at least 2016, the historic expanse of burned land area is not due solely to the number of wildfires, but also the size of many of those fires. 

Across much of the Midwest and Western United States, drought conditions created an especially high-risk wildfire season and fueled some of the year’s most devastating fires. The entirety of Morrill County, Nebraska, for example, was suffering through an extreme drought in mid-March, when a wildfire broke out. By the time it was contained less than two weeks later, the Morrill Fire had already spread across more than 1,000 square miles, and now stands as the largest fire in Nebraska state history. 

Using data from local news sources and the Incident Information System, Climate Crisis 247 identified the largest wildfires so far in 2026. Supplemental data on drought conditions in the impacted area are from the U.S. Drought Monitor. 

 10. Widemouth 2 Wildfire

• Land area burned: 129,741 acres (203 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Millard and Sevier Counties, Utah
• Fire start date: July 27, 2026
• Fire end date: September 28, 2026
• Drought conditions in Millard County, OR when fire started: 83.7% of land area in extreme drought

 9. Kaiser Canyon Wildfire

• Land area burned: 138,293 acres (216 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Ferry and Okanogan Counties, Washington
• Fire start date: July 16, 2026
• Fire end date: September 6, 2026
• Drought conditions in Ferry County, WA when fire started: 70.8% of land area in moderate drought

 8. Tartar Wildfire

• Land area burned: 158,027 acres (247 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Washington County, Idaho
• Fire start date: July 24, 2026
• Fire end date: September 2, 2026
• Drought conditions in Washington County, ID when fire started: 95.2% of land area in moderate drought

 7. Sinlahekin Wildfire

• Land area burned: 166,007 acres (259 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Okanogan County, Washington
• Fire start date: July 26, 2026
• Fire end date: Ongoing, 96% contained
• Drought conditions in Okanogan County, WA when fire started: 69.4% of land area in severe drought

 6. Little Giant Wildfire

• Land area burned: 172,902 acres (270 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Chelan County, Washington
• Fire start date: July 16, 2026
• Fire end date: Ongoing, 93% contained
• Drought conditions in Chelan County, WA when fire started: 87.3% of land area in moderate drought

 5. Ranger Road Wildfire

• Land area burned: 283,283 acres (443 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Beaver and Harper Counties, Oklahoma; Clark, Comanche, and Meade Counties, Kansas
• Fire start date: February 17, 2026
• Fire end date: February 24, 2026
• Drought conditions in Beaver County, OK when fire started: 100% of land area in moderate drought

 4. Coleman Creek Wildfire

• Land area burned: 308,863 acres (483 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Harney and Malheur Counties, Oregon
• Fire start date: July 25, 2026
• Fire end date: September 11, 2026
• Drought conditions in Harney County, OR when fire started: 52.5% of land area in severe drought

 3. Crosswhite Wildfire

• Land area burned: 355,066 acres (555 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Crook, Jefferson, Wasco, Wheeler Counties, Oregon
• Fire start date: July 15, 2026
• Fire end date: October 2, 2026
• Drought conditions in Crook County, OR when fire started: 66.3% of land area in extreme drought

 2. Big Grass Wildfire

• Land area burned: 578,637 acres (904 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Malheur County, Oregon, and Owyhee County, Idaho
• Fire start date: July 23, 2026
• Fire end date: September 12, 2026
• Drought conditions in Malheur County, OR when fire started: 47.6% of land area in severe drought

 1. Morrill Wildfire

• Land area burned: 642,029 acres (1,003 square miles)
• Areas impacted by the fire: Morrill, Garden, Arthur, Keith, and Grant Counties, Nebraska
• Fire start date: March 12, 2026
• Fire end date: March 24, 2026
• Drought conditions in Morrill County, NE when fire started: 100% of land area in extreme drought