According to the US Forest Service, there are currently 105 large active fires burning in the United States this week and, no surprise, a large percentage of them are concentrated along the West Coast, where years of drought have been steadily whittling away local forests' ability to stave off big burns.
Esri, a California-based provider of Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software, has put together a live map of every active wildfire in the Continental U.S., which you can peruse through above–giving you info. on fire size and location, the date each started, and even layering in Youtube videos and Flickr photos from folks on the ground.
Wildfire forecasters are calling for above average fire activity in the Pacific Northwest and in central and southern California through the rest of the summer, although forecasters are hoping that the strengthening El Niño pattern will start bringing bursts of moisture to the West Coast as the fall closes in.
About The Author
stash member Ryan Dunfee
Former Managing Editor at Teton Gravity Research, current Senior Contributor, current professional hippy at the Sierra Club, and avid weekend recreationalist.