As of Aug. 13, more than 29,000 personnel are deployed across 95 uncontained large fires, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Ninety-five large fires remain uncontained, and 29,058 personnel are deployed nationwide. The heat dome that drove this crisis is beginning to ease. The fires it left behind are not.

So far in 2026, firefighters have responded to 46,636 wildfires that have burned more than 10,000 square miles — an area larger than the state of Maryland.

The system is maxed out

The Northwest is the hardest hit. At least 43 uncontained large fires are now burning across the region. Fires like Wrights Spring, Little Giant, Big Grass and Sinlahekin are showing active and extreme fire behavior. Evacuations are in effect. Homes and communities are threatened.

The National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group has requested international assistance. In July and August, Australia and New Zealand sent their first wave to the U.S. command structure, including 74 fire management specialists and a 15-person Incident Management Team. A second wave of up to 250 additional specialists arrived Aug. 11 and 12.

That is more than 300 international firefighters deployed to American soil. They bring expertise in aviation operations, fireline leadership and emergency communications.

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Heat doesn't clock out

For days, a relentless heat dome fueled brutal fire conditions.

Triple-digit temperatures collapsed humidity across the West. Dry lightning ignited dozens of fires in a single afternoon. High winds grounded the aircraft sent to fight them. And the crews left on the ground were already running on empty.

That is what made this crisis different. It was not one problem. It was four problems hitting at once — and every one of them made the others worse.

The body was never built for this

The human body simply isn't built to handle the heat firefighters now face. A study found that even after just 15 minutes of exposure, firefighters' core temperatures kept climbing after they left the site. Their body temperatures peaked as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit, around 22 minutes after the exposure, getting into heat stroke territory.

That strain compounds fast in the field with high temperatures, low humidity and radiant heat from the fires. With extended shift durations and limited recovery time, heat stress becomes a cumulative load.

(MORE: 5 Things You Should Know To Stay Safe During A Heat Wave)

Faiza Mohammed is a meteorologist intern at weather.com. She studied geography and worked with the Weather Dawgs team at the University of Georgia. She also received her master's in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the Georgia Institute of Technology.