Northwest Coordination Center

Northwest Coordination Center Welcome to the official page of the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. of Natural Resources and the National Park Service.

The NWCC coordinates resources, logistics, aviation, and predictive services for state and federal agencies managing and suppressing wildland fires in OR & WA. Located in Portland, OR, the NWCC serves as the focal point for interagency resource coordination, logistics support, aviation support and predictive services for all state and federal agencies involved in wildland fire management and suppr

ession in the region. Cooperating agencies include the: Bureau of Land Management, US Forest Service, Oregon Dept of Forestry, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington Dept.

09/23/2025

2025 Northwest fire season by the numbers*:

Number of wildfires: 4,639
Impacted total acreage: 521,545
Number of fires that were large (100+ acres timber, 300+ acres grass): 86
Percentage of total acreage from large fires: 96%
Number of human-caused fires in Oregon and Washington: 2,209

*data compiled by NWCC as of Sept. 23, 2025

Reminder: It is still wildfire season in the Northwest. Follow local restrictions and do your part to help prevent human...
09/20/2025

Reminder: It is still wildfire season in the Northwest. Follow local restrictions and do your part to help prevent human-caused fires!

NPS photo: J. Henterly

There are now 19 large active fires burning in the Pacific Northwest. Those fires – 14 in Washington and five in Oregon ...
09/18/2025

There are now 19 large active fires burning in the Pacific Northwest. Those fires – 14 in Washington and five in Oregon – are affecting close to 150,000 acres.

Last week there were 27 large fires impacting the region.

The largest concentration of current large fires is in northeast Washington and in the central Washington Cascades.

The largest wildfire in the region remains the Emigrant Fire, which is affecting just over 32,000 acres on the Willamette National Forest in southwest Oregon.

The fire with the largest personnel response is the Lower Sugarloaf Fire in central Washington, with more than 1,250 firefighters and support staff dispatched. That lightning-started fire is 20,000 acres in size, burning timber and brush on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.

The Rattlesnake Fire in northeast Washington is the largest fire in that state, affecting close to 22,000 acres along the Columbia River, east of the Grand Coulee Dam.

On Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, the human-caused Bear Gulch Fire that started July 6 is now approaching 16,000 acres in size. That fire, burning in the steep, inaccessible forested mountains surrounding Lake Cushman is one of the largest fires ever on the peninsula.

In all, there are more than 7,300 firefighters and support personnel working large fires in Oregon and Washington, representing far and away the largest regional fire response in the country, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center.

In the last 10 days there have been close to 36,000 lightning strikes in the Northwest. Initial attack firefighters, str...
09/16/2025

In the last 10 days there have been close to 36,000 lightning strikes in the Northwest.

Initial attack firefighters, strategically placed across the region specifically to respond to new starts, were dispatched to about 365 lightning-started fires from Sept. 6-15. Their speedy response helped to extinguish the vast majority of those fires.

Not every lightning strike results in a wildfire. In some cases, lightning can ignite a fire only for it to be extinguished shortly after by accompanying rainfall.

Regardless, initial attack resources will continue to patrol lightning-affected areas to monitor for potential holdover fires. Holdover lightning fires may not become visible or active until days or even weeks after the initial strike.

Seven large wildfires in the Pacific Northwest were contained last week thanks to the effort of firefighters. There are ...
09/14/2025

Seven large wildfires in the Pacific Northwest were contained last week thanks to the effort of firefighters.

There are still 21 large active fires in Oregon and Washington affecting about 180,000 acres.

Four of those large fires are currently 85-90% contained. Containment refers to the percentage of the fire's perimeter surrounded by control lines that help prevent the fire from spreading.

Once a fire reaches a certain level of containment and complexity, the management of the fire often transitions from larger, interagency teams to local fire management units.

There are now more than 8,100 firefighters and support personnel working in the Pacific Northwest, more than in any other region, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

There are now 24 large active fires burning in the Pacific Northwest. Those fires – 16 in Washington and eight in Oregon...
09/12/2025

There are now 24 large active fires burning in the Pacific Northwest. Those fires – 16 in Washington and eight in Oregon – are affecting just over 180,000 acres.

The two largest fires in the region are in Oregon. The 40,700-acre Black Rock Fire is burning grasses in central Oregon while the 32,300-acre Emigrant Fire is burning on the Willamette National Forest, east of I-5 between the cities of Eugene and Roseburg. The Black Rock Fire is now 80% contained.

There are four large fires in Washington state between 10,000 and 22,000 acres in size. The Rattlesnake Fire in eastern Washington is the largest in that state, burning grass, brush and timber, and affecting almost 22,000 acres. Fourteen of the 16 large active fires in Washington were started by lightning.

As a reminder, a large fire is considered any wildfire that burns more than 100 acres in timber or 300 acres of grassland and brush.

There are now more than 7,800 firefighters and support personnel working in the Pacific Northwest, more than in any other region, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. There are also more than 400 fire engines and three dozen helicopters in the region.

The weather continues to help firefighting efforts, with another cold front arriving Sunday, but it is still wildfire season in the Northwest and all fire restrictions should be followed to prevent new starts!

There are now more than 8,000 firefighters and support personnel responding to large fires in the Pacific Northwest. Tha...
09/10/2025

There are now more than 8,000 firefighters and support personnel responding to large fires in the Pacific Northwest. That’s more than any other region in the U.S. right now, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

More current fire resource data for the Pacific Northwest: 193 crews; 449 fire engines; and 32 helicopters.

Help a firefighter by following local fire restrictions and preventing any human-caused fires!

There were more than 3,200 lightning strikes in the Pacific Northwest during a 24-hour period from yesterday to this mor...
09/10/2025

There were more than 3,200 lightning strikes in the Pacific Northwest during a 24-hour period from yesterday to this morning!

Wetter and cooler weather across the region is helping firefighters, but dedicated initial attack resources will continue to patrol for holdover fires.

There are now 27 large active fires affecting more than 170,000 acres in the Pacific Northwest. The fires are spread out...
09/09/2025

There are now 27 large active fires affecting more than 170,000 acres in the Pacific Northwest.

The fires are spread out across both states, from northeast Washington to southwest Oregon, in the northern Cascade Range and on the Olympic Peninsula, too.

The two largest fires in the region are in Oregon. The 40,000-acre Black Rock Fire is burning grasses in central Oregon while the 32,000-acre Emigrant Fire is burning on the Willamette National Forest, east of I-5 between the cities of Eugene and Roseburg.

There are four large fires in Washington burning between 10,000 and 20,000 acres. Twelve of the 16 large active fires in that state were started by lightning.

There are currently almost 7,800 firefighters and support personnel working on large fires in the Northwest. There are also 440 fire engines and 32 helicopters dispatched to the region.

Pacific Northwest weather continues to trend cooler with more rainfall, but not every area will receive rain and additional lightning is expected, too.

As wildfire season continues this month, please stay alert and follow local fire restrictions!

09/08/2025

There have now been more than 4,000 wildfires in Oregon and Washington this season. Those fires have affected close to 440,000 acres, or nearly 690 square miles. That’s larger than the total area of Los Angeles and Seattle, combined.

The vast majority of that impacted land area – almost 96% – came from 80 large fires in the Pacific Northwest. A large fire is considered any wildfire that burns more than 100 acres in timber or 300 acres of grassland and brush.

More than two-thirds of all fires in Oregon and Washington have been attributed to human causes or have ongoing investigations. The rest of the fires were started by lightning.

Currently there are 22 large active fires affecting more than 150,000 acres in the Pacific Northwest.

As wildfire season continues, please stay vigilant, follow local fire restrictions and do your part to prevent any human-caused fires!

There are now 21 large active fires affecting about 120,000 acres in the Pacific Northwest. Fourteen of the large wildfi...
09/06/2025

There are now 21 large active fires affecting about 120,000 acres in the Pacific Northwest.

Fourteen of the large wildfires are in Washington, mostly concentrated along the Cascade Range in the center of the state and in the northeast.

The largest blaze in the region remains the 32,000-acre Emigrant Fire burning in western Oregon on the Willamette National Forest, east of I-5 between the cities of Eugene and Roseburg.

There are five fires in Washington between 5,000-15,000 acres in size: Crown Creek Fire, 13,000 acres; Bear Gulch Fire, 10,300 acres; Rattlesnake Fire, 10,600 acres; Lower Sugarloaf, 9,000 acres; and the Wildcat Fire, 7,500 acres.

Current firefighter resources in the Northwest: almost 5,600 firefighters and support personnel; 330 engines; and 26 helicopters.

More wet thunderstorms are forecasted for the Northwest this weekend, likely bringing cooler temperatures as well.

As wildfire season continues, please stay alert and follow local fire restrictions. Every action counts in reducing human-caused fire starts.

There have been nearly 5,000 lightning strikes in the Pacific Northwest so far in September. About 3,100 of those strike...
09/05/2025

There have been nearly 5,000 lightning strikes in the Pacific Northwest so far in September. About 3,100 of those strikes hit Oregon in a 24-hour period from yesterday morning to today.

Most of the lightning was in central and southern Oregon, but there were countless more strikes along the central coast, too.

More wet thunderstorms are forecasted for the Northwest this weekend, likely with cooler temperatures as well.

At least 10 of the large fires active right now in Washington state were started by lightning.

Address

Portland, OR
97201

Telephone

+15038082720

Website

http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc

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