A map created by Newsweek showing the United States' largest active wildfires highlights the extraordinary scale of the 2026 fire season, with massive blazes in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Kansas collectively accounting for millions of burned acres. Data from active incident reports show the West continues to dominate the nation's wildfire activity, with Oregon alone home to four of the 10 largest fires currently listed. The 2026 season is running substantially ahead of 2025 by acreage, with more than 7.2 million acres burned nationwide as of August 16, compared with about 5 million acres during all of last year.
Unlike 2025, which began with destructive wind-driven fires in Southern California before large summer fires spread more broadly across the West, this year’s biggest active incidents are concentrated farther north, particularly in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Federal forecasters said two major lightning events accelerated fire activity across the Northwest in mid-July, as drought persisted or worsened, July rainfall fell below normal, fuels dried out, and temperatures remained elevated. The map of the nation's largest active wildfires highlights the extraordinary scale of the 2026 fire season, with massive blazes in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Kansas collectively accounting for millions of burned acres.
The top 10 largest active wildfires burning in the U.S. currently are as follows: The largest active wildfire in the country is the Big Grass Fire in eastern Oregon, which has grown to 579,169 acres, according to InciWeb, the U.S. government's official public-facing website for wildfire and other incident information. The fire, located in Malheur County near the Oregon-Idaho border, has become the largest wildfire in Oregon history and has required extensive firefighting resources as crews battle the blaze across rangeland and rugged terrain. As of the most recent update, the fire is 85 percent contained.
Second on the list is the Rowe Creek Complex in Oregon, which has burned 373,785 acres. The lightning-caused complex lies south of Fossil and remains one of the largest incidents in the Pacific Northwest this summer. This blaze is 89 percent contained, according to the most recent InciWeb update.
Another major Oregon fire, the Coleman Creek Fire in Harney County, ranks third at 308,721 acres. This fire is 95 percent contained. "The Coleman Creek Fire started July 25 after a significant lightning storm moved through the area on July 22, producing thousands of strikes in eastern Oregon's Harney County.
The fire - burning in grass, brush, and juniper - has pushed north and east with steady winds and a solid fuel load, reaching as far as Highway 20 and the small community of Juntura," an incident overview for the fire said. This fire has reached 200,292 acres and is located in north-central Oregon. Firefighters say the blaze is 97 percent contained.
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