National Total Reaches 5,289 Fires and 4.48 Million Hectares as Preparedness Level Holds at 3

CIFFC's national situation report put the season-to-date total at 5,289 fires (+41 vs the Aug 31 count of 5,248) and roughly 4.48 million hectares burned as of Sept 5 — essentially unchanged from the Aug 31 estimate after remapping revisions, and about 1.6% above the 10-year average (4.41M ha) though still well below the 5-year average (7.1M+ ha). 531 fires remained active nationally under a National Preparedness Level of 3.