At least 43 large fires are burning more than 786 square miles in eight western states.

The fires are further fueled by drought and hot conditions that has spread throughout the West. Many areas in the West are endured temperatures well above 100 degrees last week.

Arizona has the biggest burn area, with 14 fires that have so far burned more than 469 square miles as of Tuesday morning.

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Lightning strikes started new wildfires and prompted evacuations in southern Coconino County, Arizona.

Officials closed two national forests in northern Arizona for the first time in more than a decade due to a lack of resources to fight the blazes.

(MORE: Arizona Wildfires Started by Lightning Prompt New Evacuations)

The Rafael Fire continued to threaten evacuations in Flagstaff as the fire moved towards the city on Tuesday.

The biggest fire burning in Arizona is the Telegraph Fire, which grew again overnight Wednesday. The fire has burned more than 282 square miles and is 87% contained, InciWeb reported.

Firefighters began to make progress earlier this week in fighting the Robertson Draw Fire located in Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana. According to KULR8.com, the fire was 53% contained as of Tuesday morning and measuring over 46 square miles.

Evacuation warnings are still in effect for some nearby communities. All Custer Gallatin National Forest System lands south of Point of Rocks in the Rock Creek drainage are closed under a Forest Closure Order until further notice.

In California's Ventana Wilderness, the Willow Fire has burned nearly 4 square miles since the fire began last Thursday. As of Tuesday morning, the fire was still 0% contained.

Mercury News reported that the fire is located on steep terrain, making the blaze difficult to fight. There are currently 451 personnel working to fight the fire.

Utah's Pack Creek Fire has burned nearly 14 square miles since it began earlier this month and is currently 62% contained, according to InciWeb.

The Johnson Fire in New Mexico is the largest of four large fires currently burning in the state. The fire forced the closure of Gila National Forest and a large part of the Gila Wilderness and has burned more than 133 square miles and was 9% contained as of Tuesday morning, Inciweb reported.

About 89% of the West is facing drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with 55% of the western U.S. listed as under extreme or exceptional drought, the two highest categories issued.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: Before and After Images of Lake Mead Show How Devastating the West's Drought Really Is

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.