Oregon is on pace to break its modern wildfire record, with nearly 1.8 million acres already burned this season — closing in on the 1.93 million-acre benchmark set in 2024. And it’s still July, with fire officials warning the state’s most dangerous stretch of the season, August and September, is still ahead.
A series of lightning storms across Oregon has left a trail of wildfires, forcing people from their homes as firefighters and communities race to contain them.
Oregon Department of Forestry’s Public Information Officer Jessica Neuhjahr says more than 12,000 people are working to contain fires.
“It’s really rare to see this many acres burn this early, and we still have August and September left,” she said.
For communities in Oregon, this wildfire season is bringing new challenges and uncertainty. At least 30 large fires remain uncontained.
Fires spread in Harney County
Several wildfires were scorching more than 300,000 acres in Harney County on Wednesday, including the Second Flat Fire, which has forced some tribal members living in the Burns Paiute Reservation to evacuate. The fire is also threatening power lines, leaving officials concerned about power outages.
The fire, just a few miles northwest of Burns and Hines in Harney County, has blazed over 100,600 acres and was just 6% contained as of Wednesday.
That fire has forced tribal members living in the Burns Paiute Reservation to evacuate elsewhere. Most of the reservation and parts of Hines and Burns continue to be under some level of evacuation order. Fire crews continue to contain the fire west and away from the reservation.
While wildland fighters are working to keep the fire contained and away from power lines, local officials are still concerned the fire could leave residents without power, said Harney County Commissioner Rob Frank.
“Those fires threaten our electric utilities coming into the community, so our main power transports coming from the east and coming from the west,” Frank said. “If [power lines] are threatened or if there are lines on the ground, of course, for everyone’s safety, they have to de-energize.”
The Second Flat Fire is just one of several active wildfires in Harney County, but most are burning on grasslands and away from communities. The Coleman Fire has burned over 160,000 acres between Harney and Malheur counties. Several wildfires have also blazed through parts of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge to the south of Harney County.
There’s no rain on the horizon in the remote southwest corner of the state – forecasters expect continued dry and hot conditions to continue later in the week.
“But I guess the double-edged sword of that is we don’t have any threat of dry lightning anywhere in about the next four to five-day outlook,” Frank said. “And so that’s a good thing.”
Warm Springs Grapples With Losses
The Bench Fire’s activity along its southern edges picked up Wednesday afternoon, resulting in new Level 3, “Go Now” evacuation orders declared for parts of Camp Sherman and Level 2, “Be Set” orders for parts of Lake Billy Chinook.
In the Warm Springs reservation, the Agency District was moved down to Level 2 orders, allowing the government to plan to reopen Thursday and resume regular services, according to a press release from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs on Wednesday afternoon.
According to the most recent count, six homes and five outbuildings within Warm Springs have been lost to the Bench Fire’s flames.
Wednesday’s announcement comes as many tribal members have voiced their frustrations to leadership.
“We weren’t as fast and responsive as we should have been, especially when you’re talking about evacuation,” said Edward Henderson, secretary-treasurer and CEO of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. “We haven’t been as fast forthcoming on some of the services that they need.”
Henderson said with Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders covering so much of the reservation, the government has been stretched thin as well.
“I can’t make people come in — it’s an evacuation zone,” he said. “Some places we are one person deep and that person has five roles to fill, but we’re getting there, and we’re going to get there.”
On Tuesday, Henderson said he spent a couple of hours with the director of the recently created U.S. Wildland Fire Service, Brian Fennessy, to discuss how the Warm Springs government was doing funding-wise and what equipment they might need to help combat the fire.
“It was a very positive meeting,” Henderson said. “He promised to come back out again with a different set of staff,” he added, noting that the response from state and federal officials overall has been heartening since the tribe declared a state of emergency July 27.
A community meeting is planned for 6 p.m. Thursday at the community center in Warm Springs.
Grasshopper Fire Balloons Near Mount Hood
One fire that started last week, the Grasshopper Fire burning just east of Mount Hood, ballooned on Tuesday afternoon, triggering evacuations in Wasco County.
Firefighters there are focused on protecting homes in the towns of Pine Hollow and Wamic.
U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Mary Ellen Fitzgerald said strong winds have been challenging.
“We have incredibly dry fuel conditions,” she said. “And it’s always dry here, but now it’s exceptionally dry — and it’s drying exceptionally early in the season.”
The Grasshopper Fire grew to more than 18,000 acres by Wednesday morning, with zero containment.
The Emergency Conflagration Act was invoked by the Oregon State Fire Marshal for the Grasshopper Fire Wednesday, assigning additional resources from outside the state to help.
At least 24,000 people in Oregon are under some level of evacuation order. Forecasters expect another round of lightning storms later this week in the northeastern part of the state.
Oregon secures federal funding for some wildfires
Federal funding aimed at helping Oregon’s wildfire suppression efforts for the Lower Dry Creek, Akawa Butte and Grasshopper fires is on its way.
That’s according to an announcement by Gov. Tina Kotek Wednesday morning, saying the state secured the three grants this month. The Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAGs) will pay up to 75% of a state’s eligible firefighting costs for fires that threaten to become major disasters, according to a press release.
“Putting everything we have into first response is absolutely mission-critical right now,” Kotek said. “Firefighting partnerships across all levels of government continue to demonstrate success. Securing these additional federal resources will ensure continued support for the courageous and tireless work of our firefighters on the ground.”
In a letter Tuesday, Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden called out the Federal Emergency Management Agency and demanded answers for declining the state’s request to approve grants for the Rowe Creek Fire Complex and the East Evans Creek Fire.
The state has 30 days to appeal these denials. The governor’s office says the state is considering next steps.
Air quality advisory extended
Relentless smoke from wildfires burning across the state continues to impact communities, including those in Eastern and Central Oregon.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory Wednesday for Baker, Crook, Hood River, Jefferson, Northern Malheur, Union, Wallowa and Wasco counties due to smoke in the area.
DEA warns wildfire smoke can irritate the eyes and lungs. People in the affected areas are urged to avoid strenuous outdoor activity —and stay indoors, keeping windows and doors closed, if possible.
Intermittent smoke is also expected in Gilliam, Grant, Harney and southern Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Umatilla and Wheeler counties.
Officials recommend checking smoke levels as conditions could change depending on the weather. People seeking shelter from the smoke can visit 211info.org and search for “Wildfire Related Clean Air Shelters.”
Tribal officials hand out hundreds of air quality kits
The air quality caused by the Hagen Fire is bad enough on the Umatilla Indian Reservation that the tribal government repurposed one of the air scrubbers it purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic to filter air in the Nixyaawii Governance Center.
Away from the thrum of the air scrubber, Brian Fullen, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s environmental health and safety specialist, laid out the contents of an air quality kit they recently began distributing to tribal members. The kit includes a 20-inch box fan, a HEPA filter, and various informational materials on how to improve in-home air quality.
Fullen estimated that the tribes have already distributed “a few hundred” kits. Demand for the kits, and specifically the fans, was high enough that people were lined up out the door Wednesday at the governance center.
The Hagen Fire has burned nearly 32,000 acres in Umatilla and Union counties and is only 3% contained as of Wednesday afternoon. Fullen said air quality on the reservation has been poor ever since the Hagen Fire started on July 16.
Several air quality monitors placed around the reservation showed an air quality index of more than 100, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
Fullen said the CTUIR has been focused on distributing its air quality kits to vulnerable populations in their community, like elders or members with health conditions.
“The tribe is a very large community and the reservation boundaries [is] an invisible boundary,” he said. “We have tribal members that live within the reservation and off the reservation, so we’re helping people where we can.”
With weather patterns becoming more extreme and less predictable, he said the CTUIR should start planning ahead for these types of events, for the benefit of future generations.
Resources: Stay safe and informed during wildfire season with OPB’s wildfire guide at opb.org/wildfires. This resource offers essential safety tips and preparedness guidance to help you navigate fire and smoke events.
