The number of new wildfires in the U.S. so far this year is at a ten-year high, according to federal data. Since January, more than 1.1 million acres have burned from more than 29,000 wildfires – the highest number of fires for this date since 2011. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), as of today there are 46 active large fires across the West. In response to the situation, today the NIFC elevated the National Preparedness Level to 4. With the announcement, it notes that in the last 20 years, 2002, 2008, and 2012 are the only previous fire years when the National Preparedness Level has been increased to 4 in the month of the June. And since 1990, today is the second earliest it has increased to this level. One of the biggest areas of concern right now is the high desert Great Basin region in Utah, Nevada, and eastern Oregon. There and in other places, unusually dry conditions have combined with soaring temperatures to help spark new wildfires weeks earlier than normal. Read more at NPR.