Latest / EM Morning Brief / National Preparedness Level 5 with 90 large fires; extreme heat grips the central U.S. and Southwest deserts

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National Preparedness Level 5 with 90 large fires; extreme heat grips the central U.S. and Southwest deserts · EM Morning Brief

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  Good morning.
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  I'm Cedric and This is your EM Morning Brief for Monday, July 27, 2026 and today's episode is sponsored by the NIMS store.
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  The nation remains at National Preparedness Level 5, the highest level as firefighters work to suppress and contain 90 large fires across the country, including 10 new large incidents in Sunday's national report.
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  More than 25,300 firefighters and support personnel are committed nationwide and and active fires cover roughly 1.87 million acres.
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  So far this year, 42,157 fires have burned more than 4 million acres.
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  The National Interagency Fire center also confirms the death of firefighter Nathan Matthews of Lincoln, Nebraska, a member of Colorado's Rifle Helitack crew who died Friday from burn injuries sustained in the June 27 burnover on the Knowles fire in
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  western Colorado.
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  Dangerous heat continues on two fronts.
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  Extreme heat warnings run through Tuesday morning across portions of Kansas and Missouri, where heat index values reach as high as 115 degrees, and through Monday evening across the Southern California deserts and the Las Vegas area.
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  Severe thunderstorms with flash flooding remain a risk across the upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and portions of the Mid Atlantic as a cold front pushes east early in the week.
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  In the tropics, the National Hurricane Center's Sunday Outlook calls for no tropical cyclone development in the Atlantic basin over the next seven days.
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  Other national channels are quiet.
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  The Department of Homeland Security lists no current National Terrorism Advisory System advisories.
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  Let's run through the states.
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  California Six large fires are burning across 82,701 acres.
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  The Biscar Fire in Lassen county holds at 69,344 acres, and incident officials report containment has climbed to 92%, with some evacuation orders and warnings lifted on both sides of the California and Nevada line.
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  The national Situation report lists a lower containment figure.
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  The incident updates are the fresher data.
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  The Rock Fire north of Independence held steady at 11,974 acres into Sunday and and evacuation orders remain in place for 11 zones.
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  Extreme heat warnings continue through Monday evening for the Coachella Valley, the San Diego county deserts and the San Gorgonio Pass.
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  Colorado Crews continue strengthening containment lines on the Keystone Fire, holding at 3,024 acres about 17 miles northwest of Meeker, and on the Fir gulch fire at 650 acres and 40% containment southwest of Craig.
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  No evacuations are reported on either fire in the latest Updates.
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  Florida the Berger 50 fire south of South Bay stands at 19,000 acres and 75% containment, one of two large fires the state is reporting to the national coordination system.
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  Georgia 2 Boil Water Advisories are active in Elijah.
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  A ruptured water main put the Progress Road area of the city under an advisory effective noon Sunday and in place until further notice.
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  In Effingham County, Water main work along Hodgeville Road at Blue Jay Road has neighborhoods under a boil water advisory through Tuesday at 9pm Idaho two new, large fires are burning near Mountain Home on the BLM Boise District.
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  The Duncan Fire at 2500 acres about 50 miles to the southwest and the grand old fire at 1200 acres seven miles west of town.
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  Both stand at 0% containment in Sunday's report.
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  Kansas Extreme heat warnings are in effect until Tuesday at 7am for portions of east central, northeast and southeast Kansas with heat index values up to 115 degrees.
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  Louisiana Two new large fires are burning on the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge south of Hackberry the Brown ditch fire at 1,129 acres and 30% containment, and the West Blue Crab fire at 1,382 acres and 80% containment.
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  Six large fires have burned about 68,851 acres in and around the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
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  The Forest Service is keeping the BWCAW closed to public access through July 29 and expects to reopen overnight permits at select entry points on July 30.
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  Lake County Emergency Management has a GO evacuation in effect for the Highway 16 Fernburg corridor from the Garden Lake Bridge to the end of the Fernberg at Lake One, with a temporary evacuation site at the Babbitt Municipal Building.
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  The largest fires are bear trap at 29,739 acres and 38% containment thumb at 16,853 acres and 56% and Sioux at 12,489 acres and 27%.
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  Missouri extreme heat warnings are in effect until Tuesday at 7am for much of central and western Missouri, with heat index values up to 115 degrees.
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  Nevada an extreme heat warning covers the Las Vegas area through Monday at 8pm on the state's northwest border.
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  Some evacuation orders tied to the Bisker Fire on the Nevada side have been lifted as containment improves.
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  Oregon Oregon carries the nation's heaviest fire load, 21 large fires across 331,063 acres.
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  The Ockawa Butte fire near Sisters has grown to roughly 27,000 acres at 5% containment and is the nation's number one priority fire with level one, two and three evacuation notices in effect across portions of Deschutes, Jefferson and Crook
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  counties.
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  The Brewer Fire east of Madras has passed 32,700 acres at 5% containment.
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  Elsewhere in the state.
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  Sunday, the city of Huntington was ordered to evacuate.
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  The Grasshopper fire in the Mount Hood National Forest grew to an estimated 9,500 acres and Highway 26 reopened between Mount Hood and Madras.
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  The Hay Creek complex in Gilliam, Sherman and Wasco counties stands at 149,672 acres and 60% containment.
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  South Carolina the the ANMED Health System in Anderson is working through a phone and Internet outage affecting all hospital locations.
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  Emergency rooms remain open, some patients are being diverted to Greenville hospitals and ANMED Medical Group offices are closed Monday with elective procedure patients being contacted directly.
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  Separately, the Horse island fire in the Francis Marion national forest stands at 1,011 acres and 50% containment.
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  South Dakota Saturday night storms downed trees and knocked out power to thousands in the Sioux Falls area.
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  Xcel Energy reported more than 3,700 customers still without power Sunday morning in Minnehaha and Lincoln counties, with restoration continuing through the day.
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  Texas the city of Nacogdoches issued a boil water notice for the southern part of the city after a water main broke Saturday.
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  Utah the Stookey Fire west of Vernon stands at 11,881 acres and 85% containment.
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  Washington the Kaiser Canyon Fire on the Colville Indian Reservation has burned more than 106,000 acres since a July 16 lightning start with the town of Nespilum under a level three go now evacuation order.
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  At least 20 structures are believed destroyed and more than 800 remain threatened.
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  In Grant county, the railroad fire near Beverly has grown to 8,300 acres at 35% containment, with evacuations downgraded to Level 2 and a Level 3.
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  Notice issued Sunday for the Road T northwest area near Quincy was later downgraded to Level 2.
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  The Little Giant Fire northwest of Leavenworth, 7,558 acres, and the Modrite Fire southwest of inchelium, more than 9,000 acres both remain at 0% containment.
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  All other states and territories have no significant updates in the last 24 hours that wraps today's EM Morning Brief.
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  New episodes drop Monday through Friday in the 5am hour PT, so the day starts with clarity instead of catch up.
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  EM Morning Brief is an EOC Voices podcast.
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  Stay safe.