Largest Wildfires Burning Right Now, Including One At a National Treasure

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In much of the United States, wildfire season generally lasts from late spring to early fall – and so far, 2025 has been an especially active year for wildfires. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), there have been 47,183 wildfires in the U.S. so far this year, up from 29,363 over the same period in 2024. Fortunately, even though wildfires have been more common this year, they have also been less destructive. So far in 2025, wildfires have burned nearly 4.2 million acres, about 2.3 million fewer acres than had been burned by this time last year.

The frequency of wildfire outbreaks in 2025 has been attributable, in part, to especially hot and dry conditions. Average temperatures have been climbing steadily for years, and hotter summers can draw more moisture from forests and vegetation, making them more flammable. In areas suffering from limited precipitation and drought, high temperatures can be even more dangerous.

While the end of wildfire season is fast approaching, there are still dozens of wildfires threatening life and property in parts of the Western United States. As of September 3, 2025, there were 57 large wildfires spanning a combined 711,568 acres nationwide. While nearly 16,000 firefighters have been deployed to contain the blazes, several of these fires have already spread to an area of over 10,000 acres.

Using data from the NIFC, Climate Crisis 247 identified the largest wildfires currently burning in the United States. Fires are ranked by their total size, current as of September 3, 2025. All supplemental data is also from NIFC.

The 11 wildfires on this list span eight states, all in the Western U.S., and range in size from about 10,250 acres to over 145,000. Encouragingly, most of the fires on this list have been largely contained – but setbacks are always a possibility, especially in dry and windy conditions.

11. Stoner Mesa Wildfire

Wildfire size as of Sept. 3, 2025: 10,249 acres
Pct. of wildfire contained: 47% contained
Wildfire location: Eleven miles northeast of Dolores, CO
Jurisdiction of wildfire: San Juan National Forest, U.S. Forest Service

10. Island Creek Wildfire

Wildfire size as of Sept. 3, 2025: 14,027 acres
Pct. of wildfire contained: 5% contained
Wildfire location: Fourteen miles east of Elk City, ID
Jurisdiction of wildfire: Nez Perce - Clearwater National Forests, U.S. Forest Service