For years, wildfire managers and the public relied on the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center’s (AICC) Daily Situation Report – a static PDF updated once each morning – to stay informed on wildfire activity across the state. But as wildfires grow more complex and dynamic, so must the tools we use to track them.

In April, AICC launched a powerful new tool: the AICC Situation Dashboard.

This interactive, map-based platform replaces the traditional PDF daily situational report with real-time wildfire data that updates multiple times an hour. Built with ArcGIS technology, the dashboard automatically pulls data from dispatch systems statewide – saving time, improving accuracy, and making wildfire information more accessible than ever. The accuracy of the information depends on timely and consistent data entry by dispatchers across Alaska. To support data reliability, reviews are built into the system at multiple levels, including local dispatch centers and the AICC Intelligence desk. However, during periods of high activity, occasional delays or discrepancies may still occur.

The Dashboard was created in-house by BLM Alaska Fire Service GIS staff.

Why it matters

The old daily report took hours to compile each morning and often required corrections later in the day. The new dashboard eliminates that process by pulling directly from systems like WildCAD, used by dispatch centers, and Integrated Reporting of Wildland Fire Information (IRWIN), which standardizes wildfire data across federal, state, and local agencies.

The result is fewer errors, faster updates, and more reliable information – helping everyone from on-the-ground fire crews to residents near active fires.

What you’ll find on the Dashboard

The Dashboard provides near real-time updates on:

• New and active wildfires
• Acres burned
• Breakdowns by protecting agency, dispatch center, and fire management zone
• Prescribed fires and non-wildfire incidents
• Fire causes, statuses, and management options

The map uses color-coded dots to indicate each fire’s status:

• 🔴 Red – Active or new fire
• 🔵 Blue – Out
• 🟡 Yellow – Prescribed fire

Clicking a fire dot reveals key details, including fire name, size, protection agency (BLM Alaska Fire Service, U.S. Forest Service, or Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protection), and land ownership. You can filter by location, agency, or protection unit – and even measure distances or adjust map layers for deeper insight.

Check out this useful AICC Situation Dashboard Guide to help navigate the various features.

Built for the field and the public

Whether you’re a fire or land manager tracking statewide activity, a journalist reporting wildfire developments, or a resident trying to understand what’s happening in your area, the AICC Situation Dashboard puts up-to-date information at your fingertips.

It’s also mobile-friendly, so you can check it in the field, at the office, or on your phone from home.

For those needing historical stats, AICC will continue offering daily report exports through its website on the Intelligence/Reports page. Daily statistics are grouped by year under the “Previous AICC Situation Reports” on the right side of the page. The “2025 Situation Report Exports” are linked to daily spreadsheets, while the “Archived Situational Reports” have the old-style PDF reports dating back to 1993.

As technology continues to shape how we manage wildfires, this new AICC Situation Dashboard helps Alaska agencies stay ahead by making wildfire data faster, more accurate, and more efficient to compile and share than ever before.

The new Dashboard is just one of several resources available:

• Alaska Wildland Fire Information Map Series (ArcGIS) – displays information related to wildland fire in Alaska that is useful for pinpointing location of wildfires.
• Alaska Wildland Fire and Lightning Dashboard (ArcGIS) – tracks lightning strikes and wildfires.
• Alaska Interagency Coordination Center Dashboard Series (ArcGIS) – includes tabs for both of those ArcGIS tools, plus tabs to track fires between various land ownership, protection areas and fire management options (critical, full, modified and limited).
• Alaska Wildland Fire Information blog (akfireinfo.com) – The official interagency source for timely and accurate statewide wildfire updates.

Find additional map products on the akfireinfo.com maps page.

Tell us what you think about the new AICC Situational Dashboard by emailing blm_ak_afs_public_affairs@blm.gov.

Categories: AK Fire Info