By CASEY FRIZELL, JEN BAIRES and LILLIAN KARABAIC/Oregon Public Broadcasting
As Oregon’s wildfire season nears a record for the number of acres already burned, the National Weather Service is warning of increased fire weather concerns over the next few days.
Much of the state will see dry and warm conditions through the rest of this week.
By Thursday, wildfires had burned more than 1.8 million acres in Oregon, with about 12,000 firefighters working to contain them. More than 10,000 people in the state are under some level of evacuation.
They include Cecilia Ritter, who owns a 10-acre property and log cabin in the Edgington Road District near Sisters in the Deschutes National Forest. Her property was under a Level 1 “Be Ready” evacuation warning from the Akawa Butte Fire.
Despite fire crews making progress, Ritter said that she and her neighbors are still keeping a close eye on weather conditions that could worsen the fire, especially after the Flat Fire last year.
“It’s just always there, that fear,” she said. “If the wind gusts change, the temperature increases, the damage that the wind can do. The flames fly, the sparks fly, and travel.”
Forecasters are urging residents in areas under a fire weather watch to stay alert to any shifts in the forecast. The National Weather Service says critical fire weather — including possible red flag warnings — could develop heading into the weekend.
Peggy McJunkin evacuated her home near Indian Ford Meadow after she got an alert saying she was under a Level 3 “Go Now!” evacuation order. The fire came within a half-mile of her home.
“We didn’t have somebody pounding on our door, but I did stick a note on the door saying we left,” McJunkin said.
Her family returned on Sunday once they saw that the fire was more contained.
“The boundaries were fortified, and then we saw the dozer lines, and I felt pretty confident,” she said. “And my neighbors were coming back, so it was like, ‘OK, we’re all coming back.’”
She’s keeping her bag packed and cages for her animals ready in case they need to evacuate again.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal announced that task forces were demobilizing from the Akawa Butte Fire due to structural protections made around nearby homes. Wildland firefighters will remain in the area.
The Akawa Butte Fire has burned more than 27,000 acres and is 19% contained as of Thursday.
State hotline set up
A statewide hotline for people in Oregon affected by wildfires or the air quality has been set up, the Oregon Department of Human Services said Thursday.
“During this difficult wildfire season, Oregonians impacted by fires deserve immediate and reliable access to the help they need,” said Gov. Tina Kotek. “That’s why we’ve established a dedicated, 24/7 hotline – so that no Oregonian has to navigate this wildfire season alone or wonder where to turn to for help.”
The number is 833-699-0554. If a call is not answered, callers are encouraged to leave a message and will receive a return call within one business day, according to the Department of Human Services.
Anyone experiencing any of the following situations should call for additional resources:
- Lost a home or property
- Evacuated and have ongoing needs
- Are sheltering in place and have wildfire-related needs
- Are affected by wildfire smoke or poor air quality
- Have another need or concern caused by a wildfire
The hotline does not guarantee financial assistance or enrollment in a particular program, however.
People in immediate danger should call 911, while those needing information on evacuation shelters should call 211. An online portal for wildfire assistance has also been created.
Water conservation order for parts of Warm Springs
The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is asking some residents on the reservation to conserve water as the Bench Fire burns nearby.
According to a public notice, residents on the agency water system south of Shitike Creek were asked starting Wednesday to limit water use until further notice. Officials said water tanks have dropped to critical levels because of nearby firefighting efforts.
They said the Greeley Heights and West Hills neighborhoods would feel the impact first due to their higher elevations.
Conservation efforts include turning off irrigation systems, pools or anything else that uses a lot of water. For those sheltering in place, the water conservation notice means they’re not able to wash clothes, clean their hands or shower.
“We have to go up to a campus 3 miles away to take a shower,” said Alysia Klick’ump, a tribal member living in the impacted area. “They have a station put up, but not everyone has rides.”
Klick’ump said that she’s been using spring water to cook and clean. She stressed that donations of bottled water, hand wipes and cleaning wipes are especially useful with this new order.
The Bench Fire has burned more than 60,000 acres and was 22% contained as of Thursday morning.
The tribe launched an official recovery fund to assist with immediate needs for individuals and families impacted by the wildfires. The funds will also be used to help rebuild what’s been lost, according to the donation page.
Fire weather watch this weekend
The NWS Pendleton office noted early Thursday that on top of the dry, hot weather, there’s a slight chance of thunderstorms for parts of eastern Oregon.
“While thunderstorm chances are very low, instability could cause active behavior around fires already on the landscape,” according to the Pendleton area forecast discussion.
Fire weather concerns will be elevated through Friday. Then on Saturday, the weather service has issued fire weather watches for large areas of north-central, northeast and southeast Oregon. That includes the areas where the massive Big Grass and Rowe Creek fire complexes are already burning more than 300,000 acres each.
The watch means critical fire weather is in the forecast, including wind gusts up to 40 mph and humidity below 20% in some areas from Saturday morning through Saturday night.
The weather service urges residents in areas under a fire weather watch to pay close attention to changes in the forecast. Red flag warnings and other critical conditions are possible as the weekend approaches.
This story was originally published on July 30, 2026 by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
It is amazing how the history of these serious fires is avoided by mainline media. The Grasshopper fire, for example. 14,000 acres so far. Yet the national Force Service identified the area an extreme fire hazard years ago and marked it for clean-up. Then the “Oregon Wild” sued the Forest Service and delayed the clean-up, not to mention costing the tax payers $50,000 in attorney’s fees. The delay in forest clean-up is what we are witnessing today. As long as these multi-million dollar extremists groups are allowed to prevent the Forest Service from doing their job we are going to have mega fires in the forest.