10 Cities at Highest Risk for Wildfires in 2026

The 2026 wildfire season may soon be among the worst in recent memory. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, above average temperatures and below-average precipitation levels this year have created conditions for potentially devastating wildfires across large swathes of the country. Wildfires have already burned nearly 3 million acres in the U.S. so far this year, well above the comparable year-to-date average of 1.9 million acres over the last decade. And official assessments suggest that relief likely remains a long way off. 

The National Multi-Agency Coordination Group uses a Preparedness Level scale to gauge wildfire risk in the United States. The PL scale ranges from 1, the lowest risk level, up to 5, the highest. PL scores are assigned based on weather reports, fuel conditions, available resources for containment, and actively burning wildfires. Currently, the National Preparedness Level is a 4 out of 5. 

Drought is one of leading risk factors for wildfires in the United States, and according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, drought conditions ranging from moderate to exceptional are currently impacting over half of the country. Many U.S. cities now reporting widespread drought also have large communities in close proximity to forested or undeveloped, natural areas – places dense with vegetation and other potential wildfire fuel. 

Using data from the U.S. Drought Monitor and Cotality, an information services company, Climate Crisis 247 identified the American cities that are currently at the highest risk of wildfires. We ranked all cities identified by Cotality as being at moderate or greater risk of wildfire destruction on the share of land area reporting drought conditions. All drought data is from the U.S. Drought Monitor and is current as of the week of ending on June 29, 2026. Supplemental data on homes facing moderate or greater wildfire risk, as well as the reconstruction cost value of those homes, is from Cotality’s Wildfire Risk 2025 report. 

10. Sacramento, CA

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 100,055 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $64.0 billion
• Land in the Sacramento area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 0% 
• Land in the Sacramento area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 89.5% (426.0 square miles)

9. Chico, CA

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 31,888 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $11.9 billion
• Land in the Chico area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 0% 
• Land in the Chico area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 100% (34.5 square miles)

8. Redding, CA

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 35,720 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $15.2 billion
• Land in the Redding area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 0% 
• Land in the Redding area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 100% (72.5 square miles)

7. San Antonio, TX

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 78,738 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $31.4 billion
• Land in the San Antonio area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 0% 
• Land in the San Antonio area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 95.5% (573.7 square miles)

6. Flagstaff, AZ

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 33,466 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $10.6 billion
• Land in the Flagstaff area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 0% 
• Land in the Flagstaff area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 100% (34.8 square miles)

5. Colorado Springs, CO

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 49,560 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $23.1 billion
• Land in the Colorado Springs area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 0% 
• Land in the Colorado Springs area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 100% (188.2 square miles)

4. Austin, TX

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 94,045 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $44.1 billion
• Land in the Austin area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 76.4% (403.1 square miles)
• Land in the Austin area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 17.9% (94.2 square miles)

3. Denver, CO

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 69,995 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $35.1 billion
• Land in the Denver area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 92.4% (629.8 square miles)
• Land in the Denver area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 7.6% (51.7 square miles)

2. Prescott, AZ

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 31,883 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $11.6 billion
• Land in the Prescott area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 100% (51.0 square miles)
• Land in the Prescott area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 0% 

1. Bend, OR

• Total number of homes at moderate or worse wildfire risk: 36,166 
• Estimated reconstruction cost value of at-risk homes: $15.3 billion
• Land in the Bend area currently reporting severe or extreme drought conditions: 100% (39.9 square miles)
• Land in the Bend area currently reporting abnormally dry or moderate drought conditions: 0%