# Wildfires — NORMAL (stable)
id wildfires · Weather & Hazards · horizon acute · checked 2026-11-01T11:52Z · at this level since 2026-10-31T11:26Z · stale after 2026-11-02T01:52Z
Assessed by an AI model (Anthropic Claude) against published rubrics; not a forecast or advice · CC BY 4.0 · https://canary.danleech.com/s/wildfires

Value: GDACS: no orange/red
Rated on: No GDACS orange/red wildfire alerts and no major evacuations.

No major fires now; Southern California evacuations in mid-October

Why it's at this level: GDACS shows no orange or red wildfire alerts as of 1 Nov, with 75 green-level fires listed. No fires are currently threatening large populated areas; the most recent major incident was a Southern California fire on 16–17 Oct.

What this means for you: Wildfire risk is currently low in the Northern Hemisphere; follow local authority alerts.

Why it matters: Large fires destroy towns, cause hazardous smoke over continents and drive insurance losses.
What moves it: Drought, heat, wind, fuel load, ignition, season.

Rubric — Alert: Fires burning into populated areas with fatalities or mass evacuation, or GDACS red. | Watch: Large fires forcing evacuations, or GDACS orange. | Normal: No GDACS orange/red wildfire alerts and no major evacuations.

Sources:
- GDACS — current events (2026-10-31) https://www.gdacs.org/
- Al Jazeera — Southern California wildfire engulfs homes (2026-10-17) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/17/southern-california-wildfire-engulfs-homes-prompts-evacuation-orders