America is losing its war against wildfire

The country's approach to wildfire is falling behind worsening conditions, according to firefighters and researchers. For decades, U.S. policy has tried to put out nearly every fire, which lets brush and dead wood pile up in forests. That fuel buildup, combined with hotter and drier weather, is producing more "megafires" — blazes over 100,000 acres that burn faster and hotter and are far more destructive. So far in 2026, more than 53,000 wildfires have burned over 8 million acres, about 3 million more than the recent average, and federal officials say firefighting crews and equipment are stretched past capacity, with requests for help going unmet.

Many fire scientists argue the only way to reduce future risk is to let more low-danger fires burn naturally in the backcountry and to do more prescribed burning (deliberately set, controlled fires meant to clear out excess brush before it becomes dangerous fuel). But the Trump administration has pushed the opposite approach, ordering "full suppression" of nearly all fires and increased logging on public lands, even as prescribed burning has dropped and Forest Service firefighting jobs remain unfilled.

For homeowners in fire-prone areas, this means the backcountry buffer that once absorbed some fire risk is shrinking, and the agencies that respond to fast-moving blazes are increasingly overcommitted. Whether prescribed burning, forest thinning, or full suppression dominates in your region may depend on decisions made locally and by your state, since practices and funding vary by area.