Wildfires explained in plain English
No fire science degree required. Every guide below is built exclusively from official government sources: the National Weather Service, NIFC, EPA, FEMA, and state and federal fire agencies, with links so you can verify everything.
Red Flag Warnings & Fire Weather Alerts
What a Red Flag Warning actually means, how it differs from a Fire Weather Watch, and what to do when one is issued for your area.
Read the guideReading the Fire Map
Flame icons, dispatch reports, firefighting aircraft, wildfire cameras, satellite heat, perimeters, evacuation zones, smoke plumes and forecasts, fire spread forecasts, lightning, open shelters, wind flow, and alerts: what each layer shows, where the data comes from, and how fresh it is.
Read the guideFire Containment Explained
Containment measures control line around a fire, not how much of it is out. Here is how to read the number like an incident commander.
Read the guideEvacuation Orders & Levels
The three evacuation levels used across the US and Canada, what each one requires of you, and why leaving early beats leaving fast.
Read the guideWildfire Smoke & Air Quality
How to read the color-coded Air Quality Index, why PM2.5 in smoke is dangerous, and what actually works to protect yourself indoors and out.
Read the guidePreparing Your Home for Wildfire
Most homes ignite from embers, not the fire front. The zones, materials, and maintenance that give your house a fighting chance.
Read the guideHow Wildfires Start & Spread
Nearly 9 in 10 US wildfires are human-caused. How fires ignite, the fire behavior triangle, and why some fires explode while others creep.
Read the guideOfficial sources only
These guides summarize guidance published by the National Weather Service, the National Interagency Fire Center, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, the EPA and AirNow, FEMA and Ready.gov, the US Forest Service, the National Park Service, CAL FIRE, and Natural Resources Canada. Each guide lists its sources so you can read the originals. For live conditions, see the live wildfire map.