Images
August 10, 2026 - Fires in Western North America
Tweet
In early August 2026, dozens of large wildfires were burning across western North America due to persistent drought conditions and extreme fire weather.
On August 6, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of smoke pouring from multiple fires located as far north as British Columbia, Canada and as far south as Nevada and Utah in the United States. Additional large fires burned as far south as Texas.
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that, as of August 8, there were 97 large fires burning across the United States, with 9 new fires reported on August 7. The number of active large fires reported in the following states was: 7 in Idaho and in Montana; 5 in Washington; 5 in Oregon; 3 in Colorado; 3 in Minnesota; 3 in New Mexico; 2 in California; and 1 in each in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Texas. The only non-western state with a large fire reported was Florida, with 1.
The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS) report on August 9 stated that there were 637 active fires across the country on that date. Note that this is all fires, unlike the NIFC report which highlights only large fires. The majority of the fires, especially the large fires, clustered in southwestern British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and Ontario. From January 1 to August 5, there have been 937 fires reported in British Columbia, and they have affected 364,730 hectares of wildland in that province. All but 66 were reported as no longer active. The August 5 situation report notes that “challenging conditions persist in the southern part of the province with hot and dry weather continuing.”
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/6/2026
Resolutions:
1km (1.8 MB), 500m (4.9 MB), 250m (3.2 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
In early August 2026, dozens of large wildfires were burning across western North America due to persistent drought conditions and extreme fire weather.
On August 6, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of smoke pouring from multiple fires located as far north as British Columbia, Canada and as far south as Nevada and Utah in the United States. Additional large fires burned as far south as Texas.
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that, as of August 8, there were 97 large fires burning across the United States, with 9 new fires reported on August 7. The number of active large fires reported in the following states was: 7 in Idaho and in Montana; 5 in Washington; 5 in Oregon; 3 in Colorado; 3 in Minnesota; 3 in New Mexico; 2 in California; and 1 in each in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma, and Texas. The only non-western state with a large fire reported was Florida, with 1.
The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS) report on August 9 stated that there were 637 active fires across the country on that date. Note that this is all fires, unlike the NIFC report which highlights only large fires. The majority of the fires, especially the large fires, clustered in southwestern British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and Ontario. From January 1 to August 5, there have been 937 fires reported in British Columbia, and they have affected 364,730 hectares of wildland in that province. All but 66 were reported as no longer active. The August 5 situation report notes that “challenging conditions persist in the southern part of the province with hot and dry weather continuing.”
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/6/2026
Resolutions:
1km (1.8 MB), 500m (4.9 MB), 250m (3.2 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
