Crews battle wildfires in western U.S. and Canada

By Chandelis Duster
NPR – National Public Radio
August 9, 2026
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, United States

Evacuation orders are in place across parts of the Western U.S. and Southwest Canada as extremely hot and dry conditions fuel the spread of wildfires in the region. There were 183 new fires, including eight large ones, across the U.S. since Saturday, the National Interagency Fire Center reported on Sunday. More than 30,000 personnel with over 640 crews were assigned to the fires. Firefighters were battling more than 94 large fires across the country, the agency also said. …Two pilots died on Friday after their helicopter crashed while battling the Widemouth 2 Fire in Fishlake National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed Sunday. …In Oregon, a bulldozer operator identified by officials as Jason Ensign, died battling the Wrights Spring Fire, which has spread over 33,000 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday afternoon. …In Canada, there were more than 100 active wildfires in the British Columbia. …A state of emergency has been declared.

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