After nearly seven weeks with the nation’s firefighting resources committed at their highest preparedness level, Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and four Western senators are seeking answers from the Trump administration over federal staffing, firefighter safety and the billions of dollars spent battling wildfires during the 2026 season.
The inquiry comes during a punishing year for Oregon, where more than 2.5 million acres have burned and state large-fire expenses reached approximately $236 million by Aug. 20. Across the country, more than 8 million acres have burned as major incidents competed for firefighters, aircraft, specialized crews and experienced incident commanders.
From July 18 through Sept. 4, the national wildfire system remained at Preparedness Level 5, the highest designation used by federal fire managers. The prolonged mobilization placed federal resources under extensive demand as simultaneous fires burned across Oregon and other Western states.
Wyden joined Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff of California in requesting a detailed accounting from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
“Record-breaking high temperatures and historic drought have led to catastrophic fires across the West, destroying thousands of homes, wreaking havoc on the economies of rural communities, stressing the budgets of local governments, and leading to the loss of four wildland firefighters and two pilots,” the senators wrote.
Their questions extend directly into the federal wildfire workforce. The senators reported receiving accounts of crews working repeated or extended assignments, shortages of fully qualified supervisory personnel and temporary command structures being used during a season of sustained national mobilization. They are asking the administration to document those reports through staffing records, overtime figures, unfilled resource orders and comparisons of available incident management teams with previous fire seasons.
The request follows substantial reductions in the Forest Service workforce during 2025. Those departures included employees outside wildland firefighting, but federal staffing losses have added another dimension to questions surrounding the availability of experienced personnel during this year’s heavy fire activity.
Federal suppression spending has also accelerated. More than $6 billion in fire suppression budget authority was available for fiscal year 2026, with nearly the entire amount committed by early September, according to the senators. The federal fiscal year continues through Sept. 30, while significant wildfire activity can persist across the West well into autumn.
Oregon’s fire season demonstrates the volume of resources required when several major incidents burn simultaneously. The Rowe Creek Complex exceeded 370,000 acres and at one point had more than 1,600 personnel assigned. The Grasshopper Fire grew beyond 80,000 acres with more than 1,800 personnel involved in suppression efforts, drawing assistance from outside Oregon and an Australia-New Zealand Incident Management Team.
The senators are also requesting information about firefighter fatalities, entrapments and emergency fire-shelter deployments. Four wildland firefighters and two pilots have died during the Western fire season, according to their letter, adding firefighter safety and workload to the federal review they are requesting.
National conditions have eased since the height of summer, allowing wildfire preparedness to fall below Level 5 and releasing some resources from major incidents. Oregon’s fire season, however, remains active as federal and state agencies continue maintaining crews and equipment for additional fires during periods of warm, dry and windy weather.
Wyden and the other senators have requested that Interior and Agriculture provide answers within 10 days, including the number of qualified personnel available, the extent of extended assignments, remaining suppression funding and whether additional federal resources will be necessary before the season concludes.
For Oregon, the request follows months of large fires, extensive deployments and escalating suppression costs. The federal response will provide a clearer accounting of the personnel and financial resources that remain available after one of the most demanding stretches of the 2026 Western wildfire season.