By admin 
Wildfire season has been catastrophic in the Pacific Northwest.
So far in 2026, wildfires have scorched more than two million acres across Oregon and Washington state.
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With smoke from major fires expected to travel throughout the Evergreen State this week, hazy skies might not mean blazes are nearby.
How can you tell where the nearest active fire is?
Here’s what to know:
Where to find maps of Washington wildfires
The state of Washington has multiple online resources for locating fires, including the state Department of Transportation’s interactive Travel Map.
The map has an option to select a view of wildfires, which will pinpoint recent and current fires.
You can click each icon to learn more about the date the fire started, how many acres it has burned and other details.
Additionally, the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center maintains an online fire map with detailed information about wildfire locations, causes, containment levels and acres burned.
The map also notes how many, if any, nearby residences or businesses are threatened by the blaze.
The center also maintains a blog with frequent updates and summaries on specific fires.
Another popular map that tracks wildfires across the country is the Western Fire Chiefs Association Fire Map, which includes near real-time updates using U.S. Forest Service updates, information from the National Interagency Fire Center and dispatch data found on PulsePoint.
Where are major wildfires in Washington state?
August started off with a series of devastating fires in Washington state.
“Large fires near Spokane, Washington, including the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires, continue to prompt evacuations and road closures,” the National Interagency Fire Center said in a Monday, Aug. 3, report.
Thousands of people have been evacuated in Spokane in response to the blazes, which have collectively scorched 8,000-plus acres and damaged more than 600 homes, according to NPR and other sources.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide state of emergency on Saturday, Aug. 1, due to “drought conditions, unusually high temperatures and high winds all exacerbating our record-setting wildfires.”
In addition, the governor reached out to President Donald Trump requesting an expedited emergency declaration for Spokane and other areas in Central and Eastern Washington affected by fires.
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The Red Sky Fire also burned over the weekend, prompting evacuations in Union Gap and the surrounding area in Yakima.
How many acres have been burned in Oregon and Washington?
According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, more than 1,100 active wildfires have burned more than 541,000 acres in the Evergreen State as of Monday, Aug. 3.
That’s an increase of about 163,000 acres since Wednesday, July 29.
More than 13,500 acres of Department of Natural Resources land have been burned since Friday, July 31, the agency said.
Major wildfires prompting evacuations around Washington state last week include the Kaiser Canyon, Sinlahekin, Signal Peak and Ransier fires.
Just across the state line, numerous wildfires in Oregon have threatened national forests, wilderness areas and residential communities, forcing thousands of people to evacuate.
More than 1.5 million acres of land have been burned by wildfires in Oregon this year.
How can I get updates on wildfires in Washington state?
The main resource for wildfire information in Washington state is the state Department of National Resources.
The department regularly updates a dashboard of wildfires in the region, updates on burn bans by region and other relevant information.
The department also has a Twitter page dedicated to fire updates at @waDNR_fire and uses #WaWILDFIRE along with specific hashtags with fire names when posting new information.
How can I get emergency alerts in my Washington city?
Additionally, many cities in Washington state use emergency notification systems to alert residents of potential dangers including weather updates and nearby wildfires:
- Tacoma: CodeRED
- Olympia: Thurston County Alert
- Bellingham: AlertSense
- Tri-Cities: AlertCenter and CodeRED
This story contains information from a previous article originally published in August 2023.
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