NIFC Raises National Wildfire Preparedness Level to 4 After Firefighter Fatalities; 52 Large Fires Burning Across Nine States

The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) has elevated the national wildfire preparedness level to 4 (out of 5) as 52 large fires burn across nine states, affecting approximately 465,189 acres. This comes after three federal firefighters died in a burnover on the Knowles Fire along the Colorado-Utah border on June 27. Critical fire weather conditions persist in the Four Corners and Great Basin regions.