It’s still early in the wildfire season for the American west, but it’s already shaping up to be a tough and, in some cases, record-breaking year.
Oregon has seen more fire than any year on record, with almost 1.5m acres (607,028 hectares) scorched in recent weeks as huge wildfires, primarily caused by lightning strikes, have exploded across the region. Nearly 70 major fires are burning across the US this week alone, primarily in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and California, according to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC).
“This season has been exceptionally difficult, especially because it started earlier than normal,” said Jessica Neujahr, a public affairs officer with the Oregon department of forestry. “These conditions we saw in July are conditions we would normally see in August.”
All this is putting a huge burden on resources, including the firefighters tasked with keeping things under control, with states having to call in backup from as far away as Hawaii and New Zealand. Last month, the NIFC put the US at a preparedness level 5, its highest level of fire activity, meaning resources for fighting fires are heavily or fully committed. The US has only reached that level in July four times in 20 years. Oregon alone had 9,300 firefighters responding to fires, Neujahr said.
After a relatively quiet year in 2023, California’s fire season has also kicked off early. Last month, the Park fire exploded into one of the state’s fastest-growing fires and the fourth largest. Experts warn that acreage does not indicate how destructive a wildfire is, but the measurement does offer insight into how quickly it has grown.
Improved weather in both states is expected to offer some relief but the NIFC forecasts that much of the west will face significant fire potential until the end of September. Now, officials and firefighters wait to see what’s in store.
“We’re about halfway through our season and it’s real busy and [we’re] getting the crew in that mental and physical mindset that we still have three months to go,” said Dan Mallia, the superintendent of the Redding Hotshots, specially trained firefighters with the US Forest Service who respond to wildfires.
A non-stop fire season
Conditions have been ripe for ignition. Oregon, like much of the west, endured a heatwave in July that dried out fuels. The state also saw several lightning events that brought approximately 4,000 strikes on the landscape, Neujahr said, and ignited fires.
In California, two years of above-average rain led to abundant grasses, which were then cured in the extreme heat the state faced.
“Because we had this really abundant grass crop, we saw these fires spread really early,” said Adrienne Freeman, a public affairs officer with the US Forest Service based in California. “In general, it was really heavy fuels conditions drying really quickly that have caused the rapid fire spread.”
In northern California, the Park fire saw explosive growth within hours after a man, who has since been accused of arson, allegedly ignited the blaze by pushing his burning car down a ravine in a city park. The fire exhibited extreme behavior, including rotating smoke plumes and fire vortexes.
Mallia and his crew spent several days on that fire, and found that it frequently hamstrung the tactics they use to fight fires. The ferocity of the fire meant that firefighters often had to “let [the fire] do its thing” and then “pick up the pieces after”, he said.
The last few months have been non-stop, particularly compared with the last few years, Mallia said in an interview from Oregon, where his hotshot crew was responding to the Willamette Complex fires. “We have just been doing back-to-back assignments,” he said. “It’s been busy. It’s been challenging.”
Between the lightning fires in Oregon and blazes burning in northern California and the Great Basin region, it overwhelmed the available resources, Mallia said. “It was putting a big-time strain on the system.”
More than 5,000 personnel are still assigned to the Park fire.
The north-west region has been priority number one for resources, Neujahr said. Firefighters from Australia and New Zealand are in Washington and Oregon assisting with the blazes, along with crews from across the country, including Hawaii. A jet with the National Interagency Fire Center traveled around the US picking up firefighters and bringing them to Oregon, she added.
“Us alongside our partners have just been working super hard to get as many people as we can in the state,” Neujahr said.
‘It puts physical, mental stress on you’
The Redding Hotshots spent several days on the Park fire before heading to Oregon, where they have been for nearly two weeks establishing fire lines to limit spread. Their physically intensive workdays typically stretch nearly 12 hours.
Mallia, whose work focuses on planning, risk mitigation and strategizing, said managing fatigue by making sure the crew gets at least seven hours of sleep a night and good nutrition are essential.
Expanded crew sizes, additional days off and improved mental health resources have gone a long way in helping firefighters’ wellbeing, he said. The culture has changed significantly in the 25 years Mallia has spent in the fire service. “We’ve had a big-time culture change where it’s OK to take time off and share your feelings and how you’re doing, especially if you’re not doing good.”
“We’re getting asked to do a lot more and with that it’s just gonna put stress on you. It’s gonna put physical stress on you, it’s gonna put mental stress on you.”
In Oregon, this week and last week have brought more moderate weather that has allowed firefighters to try to get ahead of the fires, but Neujahr said, “We’re definitely not out of the woods yet.”
The state typically sees its peak fire season in September when the area’s east winds arrive, which can create explosive wildfires. East winds fueled the state’s highly destructive and deadly Labor Day fires in 2020.
“We know this won’t last,” Neujahr said. “We’re ready for basically the worst-case scenario. As we’ve brought in these resources, if they are able to stay, we are keeping them here.”
The Redding Hotshots planned to soon head back home for three mandated days of rest. Mallia anticipates more busy months ahead, but he isn’t making any predictions.
“A lot of my non-fire friends will ask ‘how do you think fire season will be?’ I always say I’ll tell you in November.”
