Wildfires have burned 2.3 million acres this year — before wildfire season

Roughly 2.3 million acres of land in the United States have already burned in wildfires this year, before the fire season has even started, reports Everett Sloane in Morning Overview.

That number, spread out over more than 29,000 fires, is over one million more acres than at the same time last year, Sloane adds. "To put the acreage in perspective, the 10-year average for acres burned through late May typically falls well below two million. Crossing that threshold before June signals a season that is not just early but structurally different from recent norms."

The increase in fires was caused by a combination of a warmer-than-average winter and increased drought conditions. Although fires are typically concentrated in the western states, this year large grassland fires also burned in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. 

According to Sloane, "Federal agencies including the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior maintain fire hiring portals and have expanded recruitment in recent years. But no public statement from NICC or NIFC officials about 2026 staffing levels, equipment prepositioning, or budget adequacy has surfaced in available federal reporting." Sloane notes that not every season with a "hot start" has continued to surge, and this summer's predicted El Niño could bring more than the usual amount of rain.