Environment

States brace for wildfire season amid drought, El Niño

Through April, 24,000 separate wildfires had burned more than 1.8 million acres across the country.
This photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources shows firefighters responding to the Pineland Road Fire in southeast Georgia on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources via AP)

Federal officials and wildland experts are warning states to brace for an unusually active wildfire season, as conditions align for a hot, dry and windy summer.

The fire season has already gotten off to a fast start. As of April 30, 24,000 separate wildfires have burned more than 1.8 million acres across the country, nearly double the typical yearly average, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, based in Boise, Idaho.

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