Crews battle wildfires in western U.S. and Canada

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Forest Service on Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, shows the Widemouth 2 wildfire burning near Richfield, Utah. U.S. Forest Service/Fishlake National Forest/AP hide caption

Evacuation orders are in place across parts of the Western U.S. and Southwest Canada as extremely hot and dry conditions fuel the spread of wildfires in the region.

There were 183 new fires, including eight large ones, across the U.S. since Saturday, the National Interagency Fire Center reported on Sunday. More than 30,000 personnel with over 640 crews were assigned to the fires. Firefighters were battling more than 94 large fires across the country, the agency also said.

Evacuations are in place across Utah, where close to a dozen active wildfires have scorched more than 300,000 acres, as of Sunday evening. The Rocky Canyon Fire, some 30 miles northeast of Salt Lake City, grew to more than 2,800 acres since it began on Friday and is 0% contained, as of Sunday — leading to evacuations in Morgan County.

Two pilots died on Friday after their helicopter crashed while battling the Widemouth 2 Fire in Fishlake National Forest, the U.S. Forest Service confirmed Sunday .

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox mourned their deaths in a social media post : "They put themselves in harm's way to protect our state and gave their lives in that service."

The Widemouth 2 fire has scorched more than 118,000 acres, becoming the largest fire in the state this year, surpassing the Babylon Fire which has burned over 107,000 acres. The fire was 27% contained as of Sunday morning.

In Oregon, a bulldozer operator identified by officials as Jason Ensign, died battling the Wrights Spring Fire, which has spread over 33,000 acres and was 0% contained as of Sunday afternoon.