Oregon and Washington leaders are calling for reinforcements ahead of what they expect will be a grueling August.
Eighteen thousand acres is about 28 square miles: a substantial fire, though still far below the 100,000-acre threshold commonly used for a “megafire.” The more important scale is regional and national. By July 21, U.S. wildfires had burned 3.96 million acres—about 38% more than at the same point in 2025. By July 27, the national total had passed 4 million acres, compared with a 10-year average of 3.4 million by that point.
Figure 1Chart
The national season is running ahead of its ten-year average
The Ptarmigan Fire itself has burned at least 18,000 acres — about 28 square miles, well below the 100,000 acres commonly called a megafire.
The numbers
| Millions of acres burned nationally | Acres burned | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2026, by July 27 | 4.0 | reported as having passed 4 million |
| 10-year average, same date | 3.4 |