Oregon has already seen more acres burn in 2026 than in all of 2025, and fire officials warn there’s still a lot of wildfire season to get through.
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.
About 1.5 million acres have burned so far — more than four times last year’s total — and it’s still July.
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.
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.
Fitzgerald said Tuesday the firefighting team there is small, but they’re expecting help from California firefighters on Wednesday.
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.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.