The nation holds at Preparedness Level 5 with 104 uncontained large fires and nearly 30,000 personnel committed, led by extreme fire behavior in Oregon and Washington. North of Reno, the Bug and Fred Mountain fires drive evacuations, power shutoffs, and school closures. CISA adds three actively exploited vulnerabilities to its KEV catalog, excessive heat warnings cover roughly 25 million people in Texas and Oklahoma, and FEMA opens Individual Assistance for Rota after Super Typhoon Bavi. Kilauea’s next episode is forecast for August 13 to 17, and flood watches cover southwest Virginia and northwest North Carolina. EM Morning Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news. Produced by Sitch Radio, an EOC Voices podcast.

Key Takeaways

• National wildfire posture: Preparedness Level 5 continues with nearly 30,000 personnel, 104 uncontained large fires, and 6.4 million acres burned year to date, 156 percent of the ten-year average.

• Nevada: The Bug and Fred Mountain fires north of Reno prompt evacuation orders, power shutoffs, and class cancellations at eight Washoe County schools; an evacuation center is open in Reno.

• California: The Timber Fire near Big Sur reaches 2,989 acres at 5 percent containment with evacuation warnings in Monterey County and 259 structures threatened.

• Cybersecurity: CISA adds Cisco Secure Firewall ASA and FTD, Microsoft Windows AFD for WinSock, and Metabase vulnerabilities to the KEV catalog; remediation should be prioritized.

• Extreme heat: Excessive heat warnings cover roughly 25 million people in Texas and Oklahoma with heat indices of 105 to 109 degrees; the Kansas City metro is under an extreme heat warning all week.

• Minnesota: Boundary Waters fires top 65,000 acres and the state extends its wildfire emergency order another 30 days with evacuation zones still in effect.

• Volcanoes: Kilauea’s next fountaining episode is forecast between August 13 and 17; Great Sitkin continues a slow lava eruption at Watch and Aviation Color Code Orange.

• Territories: FEMA opens Individual Assistance for Rota residents recovering from Super Typhoon Bavi, with 100 percent federal cost share for 90 days.

• Flood risk: A flood watch runs through Thursday morning for the Roanoke area and the northwest North Carolina High Country as repeated storms raise flash flood concerns.

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Sources

NIFC and Wildfire

• NIFC National Fire News: preparedness level, personnel, and state-by-state large fire summaries

• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report: August 11 national SITREP

CISA

• CISA alert: three known exploited vulnerabilities added to the KEV catalog

FEMA

• FEMA press release: Rota residents impacted by Super Typhoon Bavi can apply for assistance

• FEMA disaster page: DR-4931 Northern Mariana Islands

NOAA and NWS

• NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Discussion: two tropical waves under watch

• Fox Weather: excessive heat warnings for 25 million in Texas and Oklahoma

USGS

• USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Kilauea update and episode forecast

• USGS Alaska Volcano Observatory: Great Sitkin and Mount Kupreanof update

California

• CAL FIRE: Timber Fire incident page

• CBS San Francisco: Timber Fire grows near Big Sur with evacuations and park closures

Kansas and Missouri

• KCUR: Kansas City is under an extreme heat warning all week

Minnesota

• MPR News: Minnesota wildfires live updates, emergency order extended

Nevada

• Sierra Daily News: Fred Mountain Fire prompts school closures, evacuations, and power outages

North Carolina

• WataugaOnline: flood watch for Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties through Thursday morning

Virginia

• NWS Blacksburg via Watauga Democrat: flood watch issued August 11 until August 13

Washington

• Washington DSHS: Washington wildfires emergency updates, burn ban, and air quality alerts

• Washington DNR Wildfire Portal: current wildfire incident information

Good morning, I'm Cedric and this is your EM Morning Brief

2

for Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

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The nation remains at Preparedness

Level 5, the highest level, with nearly

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30,000 personnel assigned to wildfires

and 104 uncontained large fires.

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Twelve new large fires are reported.

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Wildfires have burned more than 6.4

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million acres so far this year,

156 percent of the ten-year

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average, and the Northwest remains

the most active geographic area

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with 45 uncontained large fires.

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Fires including Wrights Spring and

Big Grass in Oregon and Little Giant

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and Sinlahekin in Washington continue

to exhibit active or extreme fire

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behavior, with evacuations and closures

in effect and homes, communities, and

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critical infrastructure threatened.

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Two hundred forty soldiers from

Joint Base Lewis-McChord are

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deployed in support of operations

on the Modrite Fire in Washington.

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CISA adds three vulnerabilities to

its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

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catalog: a Cisco Secure Firewall

ASA and FTD heap inspection flaw, a

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Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function

Driver for WinSock use-after-free flaw,

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and a Metabase SQL injection flaw.

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All three show evidence of active

exploitation, and organizations are

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urged to prioritize remediation.

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Meanwhile, dangerous heat holds over the

central and southern Plains, where roughly

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25 million people in Texas and Oklahoma

are under excessive heat warnings with

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heat index values of 105 to 109 degrees,

and the Kansas City metro is under an

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extreme heat warning through the week.

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On the geologic front, the USGS Hawaiian

Volcano Observatory forecasts Kilauea's

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next fountaining episode between

August 13 and 17, and Great Sitkin in

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Alaska continues a slow eruption of

lava at Aviation Color Code Orange.

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The National Hurricane Center

is monitoring two tropical waves

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in the eastern Atlantic; neither

carries an active advisory.

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FEMA opens Individual Assistance

registration for residents of Rota

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in the Northern Mariana Islands

recovering from Super Typhoon Bavi.

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(Official update published

about two days ago.)

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Let’s run through the states.

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Alaska: The Alaska Volcano Observatory

reports Great Sitkin continues a slow

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eruption of lava within its summit crater

at Alert Level Watch and Aviation Color

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Code Orange, with minor earthquakes likely

tied to rockfall on the growing dome.

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Mount Kupreanof shows continued

low-level seismic activity and

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sulfur dioxide emissions detected in

satellite data at Alert Level Advisory.

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California: The Timber Fire in the

Los Padres National Forest near Big

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Sur grows to 2,989 acres at 5 percent

containment, with evacuation warnings

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in effect for several Monterey County

zones and 259 structures threatened.

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About 480 personnel are assigned.

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Elsewhere, the new Hatchet Fire near

Springville in Tulare County stands at

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606 acres and 45 percent containment, and

the Gann Fire southeast of Valley Springs

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holds at 10,339 acres and 84 percent.

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Colorado: Six large fires are

burning 158,401 acres statewide.

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The Aspen Acres Fire northwest

of Rye reaches 102,004 acres

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at 72 percent containment.

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The Elk Fire near Lake City is 7,226 acres

at 33 percent, and the Willow Fire west

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of Leadville is 7,534 acres at 67 percent.

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Hawaii: Kilauea is not erupting

and sits at Alert Level Advisory

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and Aviation Color Code Yellow.

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Observatory models indicate another

fountaining episode is likely

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between August 13 and 17, with weak

glow and intermittent small flames

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observed at the north vent overnight.

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Idaho: Ten uncontained large

fires are burning 173,739 acres.

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The Tartar Fire northwest of

Weiser holds at 158,027 acres

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and 89 percent containment.

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The Doublesprings Fire northwest

of Mackay stands at 1,603 acres

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and 5 percent, and the MM115 HWY

20 Fire northeast of Mountain

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Home is 4,936 acres at 24 percent.

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Kansas: Kansas-side counties of the

Kansas City metro are under an extreme

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heat warning through the week, with heat

index values climbing above 100 degrees.

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Officials urge residents to

limit outdoor exposure and

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check on vulnerable neighbors.

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Minnesota: Five large fires in the

Superior National Forest and Boundary

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Waters area have burned 65,128 acres,

led by the Bear Trap Fire north of Ely at

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29,991 acres and 44 percent containment.

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The state Emergency Executive Council

extends the governor's wildfire

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emergency executive order for an

additional 30 days, and red, orange,

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and yellow evacuation zones remain

in effect across the Boundary Waters.

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Missouri: The Kansas City metro remains

under an extreme heat warning all

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week, with heat index values above

100 degrees expected each afternoon.

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Montana: Nine large fires

are burning 41,063 acres.

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The Sand Creek Fire southeast of Wisdom

stands at 15,784 acres, the Bobcat Lakes

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Fire east of Wisdom at 7,686 acres, and

the Silvertip Fire northeast of Condon at

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6,501 acres; all three are uncontained.

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We have more to cover this morning,

but first, a quick word from the

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sponsor supporting today’s episode.

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Thanks for supporting the sponsors who

help make EM Morning Brief possible.

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Now, back to this morning’s updates.

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Nevada: The Bug Fire south of Hallelujah

Junction stands at 16,680 acres and 3

84

percent containment, and the new Fred

Mountain Fire north of Lemmon Valley

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at 3,482 acres, uncontained; local

reporting indicates the two fires have

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burned together into a single perimeter.

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Evacuation orders, power shutoffs, and

school closures affect the area north

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of Reno, with the Washoe County School

District canceling classes at eight

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campuses and an evacuation center open at

the Evelyn Mount Community Center in Reno.

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New Mexico: The Frijoles Fire burns

4,159 acres at 0 percent containment

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in steep terrain within the Pecos

Wilderness northeast of Santa Fe.

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The Johnson Fire in the Gila

National Forest stands at

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440 acres, also uncontained.

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North Carolina: A flood watch covers

Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties

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in the northern High Country through

Thursday morning as repeated rounds

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of storms in a very moist airmass

raise flash flooding concerns.

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Oklahoma: Excessive heat warnings

continue with heat index values of 105

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to 109 degrees across much of the state.

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The new Mill Creek Fire north of

Stringtown stands at 218 acres

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and 30 percent containment.

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Oregon: Twenty-four large

fires have burned nearly 1.9

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million acres statewide.

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The Big Grass Fire near Jordan

Valley reaches 553,972 acres

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at 35 percent containment.

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The Wrights Spring Fire west of Sprague

River is 46,769 acres and uncontained

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with continued extreme fire behavior.

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The Grasshopper Fire on the Mt.

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Hood National Forest is 63,659 acres

at 23 percent, the Hagen Fire east of

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Pendleton is 49,638 acres at 11 percent,

and the new Austin Fire southeast

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of Estacada stands at 710 acres.

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South Dakota: The new Bear Butte

Fire two miles east of Sturgis burns

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457 acres at 50 percent containment.

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Texas: Roughly 25 million people

across Texas and Oklahoma are under

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excessive heat warnings with heat

index values of 105 to 109 degrees.

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Three new large fires are burning: the

Bufford Creek Fire near Breckenridge at

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1,500 acres and 25 percent containment,

the Brown Fire near Adrian at 800 acres

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and 60 percent, and the Saxon Fire near

Bertram at 300 acres and 50 percent.

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Utah: The Widemouth 2 Fire

southwest of Kanosh reaches 122,759

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acres at 30 percent containment.

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The Rocky Canyon Fire southwest of

Henefer stands at 13,601 acres and the

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Black Canyon Fire southwest of Price

at 3,531 acres; both are uncontained.

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Virginia: The National Weather Service in

Blacksburg issues a flood watch in effect

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until Thursday morning for Roanoke and

more than a dozen surrounding counties.

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Repeated rounds of thunderstorms

in an extremely moist airmass may

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produce flash flooding of creeks,

streams, and low-lying and urban areas.

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Washington: Twenty large fires

have burned 547,098 acres.

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The Sinlahekin Fire west of Tonasket

reaches 147,715 acres at 42 percent

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containment, the Kaiser Canyon Fire near

Nespelem 138,213 acres at 63 percent,

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and the Little Giant Fire northwest of

Leavenworth 116,956 acres at 2 percent.

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Two hundred forty soldiers from Joint

Base Lewis-McChord support the Modrite

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Fire, now 61 percent contained.

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A statewide burn ban runs through

September 30, and air quality alerts cover

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much of eastern Washington, including

Spokane, Chelan, and Okanogan counties.

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Wyoming: The new Cold Springs

Fire southwest of Douglas

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burns 1,000 acres, uncontained.

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The Weiser Knoll Fire southeast

of Lander stands at 13,350

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acres, also 0 percent contained.

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All other states have no significant

updates in the last 24 hours,

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Let’s run through the territories.

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Northern Mariana Islands: FEMA opens

Individual Assistance registration

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for residents of Rota recovering from

Super Typhoon Bavi, including grants

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for temporary housing and home repairs

and low-interest SBA disaster loans.

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Direct federal assistance is funded

at 100 percent of eligible costs

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for Rota for 90 days, and Saipan and

Tinian are approved for emergency work.

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(Official update published

about two days ago.)

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All other territories and the District

of Columbia have no significant

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updates in the last 24 hours.

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That wraps today's EM Morning Brief.

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New episodes drop Monday through

Friday in the 5:00 AM hour P.T.,

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so the day starts with

clarity instead of catch-up.

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Stay Safe.