The United States does not currently have enough resources to fight every wildfire with a full force.
The country is using nearly all of its wildfire fighting resources far earlier in the season than usual, according to data from the National Interagency Fire Center. On July 18, the country reached “Preparedness Level 5” status, the highest possible level on a scale that measures how much wildfires are taxing resources.
National wildfire response coordinators are currently deciding how resources are deployed across fires raging primarily in Oregon, Colorado and Washington. If another especially big fire starts while resources remain strapped, federal coordinators will have to decide which ongoing and smaller fires will need to be handled with fewer resources.