We began tracking wildfire on July 21. Many of you are writing to us frantic about herds you love.

Year-to-year totals swing wildly, so any single season can mislead. But over decades, the direction is clear. A USA TODAY analysis of federal data found that between 1984 and 2024 more than 16,000 large wildfires burned roughly 179 million acres — an area larger than Texas — and that by the early 2020s the average annual acreage burned had nearly tripled compared with the 1990s.

2026 is running well ahead of normal. As of mid-July, the National Interagency Fire Center’s situation reports put the season at roughly 3.9 million acres burned year-to-date and earlier tallies had activity running around 130% of the 10-year average for fire counts and close to 150% for acres. Scientists say a hotter, “thirstier” atmosphere that dries out vegetation, longer droughts  (climate change) and expanding development pushing people into fire-prone country are main drivers.

Fires are getting bigger and more frequent, the people who fight them are working through a major and controversial reorganization at reduced strength, and the true national cost runs into the hundreds of billions each year.

Kiger

Fires are burning all over the West.

We did our best to update the spreadsheet today.

These are approximate active fire boundaries and do not include complete acres burned inside wild horse and burros areas.

These lists may not be complete. We are only using active reported data. Please check with your local agency offices before heading out to the range. 

The Scorp fire we reported on yesterday that impacted the Black Mountain HMA in Idaho has been contained.

A lot of you are asking about Oregon. We tried our best, using available data, to provide it to you based on Herd Areas and Herd Management Areas.

Mapping is hard. Most BLM maps do not include wild horses and the national and state maps are not accurate and provide “approximates.” This makes lining it up with fire maps (that change frequently) hard.

BLM map of HA/HMA boundaries. You can compare with map above to see approximate areas and names

The Burns corral is under a “be ready to evacuate” order. As far as we know, they have moved horses into center pens away from the outside corrals.

Please, if you are traveling on public lands check in with local land management agencies to check for fire and road closures.

If you head onto public lands to observe — for a herd, for documentation, or just to be outdoors — fire changes the rules fast. Much of the West is under active fire restrictions this summer. BLM has urged public awareness across the Pacific Northwest, and states like Utah moved to Stage 2 restrictions on BLM lands in June.

A pre-trip checklist for range travel:

1. Check the managing agency’s fire page first. Search the specific BLM district or National Forest name plus “fire restrictions,” and read the official alerts page for closures.
2. Know your restriction stage. Stage 1 and Stage 2 restrictions can ban open fire, campfires, smoking outside vehicles, generators, and even driving or parking on dry grass — a hot exhaust or catalytic converter over cheatgrass is a documented ignition source.
3. DO NOT DRIVE off a clearly marked dirt or gravel road or two-track. DO NOT drive overland. It is forbidden any time of year and during fire season is S-T-U-P-I-D.
4. Watch for area and road closures. Active fires close entire districts and roads with little notice (for example, the Babylon Fire closure that expanded to cover an entire ranger district) (Moab Sun News). Never drive around a closure barricade.
5. Carry the basics and a backup plan. Full fuel, a shovel and fire extinguisher, paper maps, and at least one alternate route saved before you lose cell service. Pack water and more water than you think you will need.
6. Recheck after lightning, wind, or extreme heat — conditions and closures can flip in hours.
7. Mind the smoke. Check air quality if fires are anywhere nearby; smoke can be hazardous well beyond the flames.

Our team is working on our final update from the Callaghan Complex. We are working on upcoming roundups. We are  working on litigation.

We will update you soon.

Please… stay safe.

WHE is a small organization with no corporate sponsors or big endorsements. We need your support to keep our teams engaging lawmakers, our team fighting in the court, our team ready to run the roundup schedule.

Every mile we travel to cover roundups or assess a herd, every court case we bring, every win, every action we take is only possible because of your support.