National preparedness level drops to PL 2 as wildfire activity eases

National Interagency Fire Center officials announced that the national preparedness level dropped to PL 2 Tuesday morning due to a decrease in initial attack and significant wildland fire activity, as 9,701 firefighters and support personnel continued to battle 31 large fires nationwide.

National preparedness level drops to PL 2 as wildfire activity eases

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Senate Committee Advances Respirator Requirements for Federal Wildland Firefighters

Federal wildland firefighters could gain their first federal smoke-exposure limits and dedicated respiratory protection under provisions included in the Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act, which was advanced by the Senate Agriculture Committee as part of the 2026 Farm Bill.

Senate Committee Advances Respirator Requirements for Federal Wildland Firefighters

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2 killed in CA helicopter crash responding to wildfire in Yosemite: FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that a Fly-Precision helicopter assisting in the firefighting response to the Dome Fire in Yosemite crashed in Mariposa on Sunday afternoon, killing the two people on board, prompting a National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

2 killed in CA helicopter crash responding to wildfire in Yosemite: FAA

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Western wildfires increasingly intersect critical water supply watersheds

A new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment which examined more than eight decades of wildfire activity found that fires are burning more land in watersheds in the West that supply water to millions of people than in years past.

Western wildfires increasingly intersect critical water supply watersheds

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The 2026 fire season is on pace to be biggest in a decade

National Interagency Fire Center officials announced that, as of this week, there have already been more wildfires across the U.S., burning more square miles, than at this same point during the last 10 years - a total of about 13,200 square miles having gone up in smoke so far this year.

The 2026 fire season is on pace to be biggest in a decade

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In the West: A Wildland Firefighter’s Perspective

A former Hotshot recalled the night California’s Cedar Fire breached containment, commenting on how the Fix Our Forests Act could speed up active forest management and work to reduce fuel loading around communities, while building fire resiliency into the landscape, to prevent more such blazes.

In the West: A Wildland Firefighter’s Perspective

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With or without roads, US forests burn at a similar rate, researchers claim

Wildfire NOTD subscriber Hunter Bassler, a Journalist at the IAWF's Wildfire Today, delved into the thorny topic of repeal of the Roadless Rule, citing an Oregon State University study in which over 40 years of wildfire data across 11 western U.S. states showed that national forest areas classified as “roadless” didn’t burn more than national forest land with roads.

With or without roads, US forests burn at a similar rate, researchers claim

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