UNITED STATES – Officials say firefighters are battling 90 large wildfires across the western United States as an intense heat wave fuels dangerous conditions in multiple states. The National Interagency Fire Center reports that the 2026 wildfire season is the most active in a decade, with at least four firefighters killed in recent weeks. One of them, 43-year-old firefighter Matthews, died on July 24 after spending about a month in the hospital with injuries suffered on June 27 while fighting a blaze on the Utah-Colorado border. He was one of five crew members trapped in the fire zone; three died at the scene, while Matthews and another firefighter were rescued with injuries. OREGON – Fire crews are concentrating on a lightning-sparked wildfire in central Oregon that has burned about 105 square kilometers, or roughly 40.5 square miles, and is advancing toward a town of more than 3,000 residents. The heat dome over California and the Southwest is driving temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above historical averages, increasing the risk of fires fueled by dry vegetation and dry lightning. In Oregon, evacuation orders are expanding, including Level 3 “Go Now” alerts in Umatilla and Union counties due to the Hagen Fire. Other major blazes include the Big Grass Fire on the Oregon-Idaho border, which has burned 280,000 acres and threatens communities, and the Bench Fire, which forced the evacuation of the entire Warm Springs community after it jumped the Deschutes River. Air quality advisories remain in place for seven Oregon counties, while more than 1,000 firefighters are also working to contain fires in Minnesota’s Superior National Forest as parts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness prepare to partially reopen to visitors.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.