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Good morning, Northwest.
The Flat Fire in Central Oregon has destroyed at least four homes and threatens thousands more.
The fire started Thursday and erupted over the weekend, and as of late last night was uncontained. It comes as the five-year anniversary of Oregon’s historic Labor Day fires appraoches.
We start with a report from Sisters this morning and updates from emergency officials.
Meanwhile, extreme heat is expected to continue for much of the Pacific Northwest to start this week. High temperatures are forecast to start decreasing tomorrow.
Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.
The Flat Fire on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025.
Deschutes County Sheriff's Office
Flat Fire destroys 4 homes, threatens thousands more in Central Oregon
Four homes have been lost to the Flat Fire as it continues to threaten nearly 4,000 homes in Deschutes and Jefferson counties.
In addition, the blaze has destroyed six other structures — meaning shops, barns, garages, sheds, pump houses or similar buildings — and damaged two structures in Deschutes County, the county’s sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post late yesterday evening.
Firefighters have taken over the Sisters Rodeo grounds as they prepare to take on the blaze. (Emily Cureton Cook and Joni Auden Land)
Hawk Creek, which is where Neskowin draws the town's drinking water, on Aug. 5, 2025.
Kristian Foden-Vencil / OPB
4 things to know this morning
- A state grant is helping small towns like Neskowin purchase their drinking watersheds. Buying all the parcels of land and converting them into something resembling old-growth forest for water filtration could take generations. (Kristian Foden-Vencil)
- A 56-year-old man found dead in Portland on Saturday may have died as a result of the region’s current heat wave, according to the Multnomah County medical examiner. (Conrad Wilson)
- Thousands of people ran in blistering hot conditions this weekend for the annual Hood to Coast Relay, one of the largest relay races in the world, with at least six runners having to be hospitalized due to the heat. (Joni Auden Land)
- Raiden is one of 25 young people OPB followed from kindergarten in 2012 through high school as part of the Class of 2025 project. His school career was complicated by changing schools, but also by a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Now 18 years old, Raiden faces a young adulthood he hopes will be smoother than the rocky road that led to his graduation. (Rob Manning)
The last days of an Oregon roadside zoo
On the morning of May 15, officers from multiple local, state and federal agencies raided the West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon and seized more than 300 animals. Jefferson Public Radio reporter Justin Higginbottom joins us to share what he’s learned about the raid and what led up to it. (Justin Higginbottom and Julie Sabatier)
A railroad trestle collapsed while a train was crossing it in Corvallis, Jan. 4, 2025.
Courtesy of Corvallis Police
Headlines from around the Northwest
- After Corvallis collapse, US railroad bridges still missing oversight (Lex Doig, Jaehee Kim and Adrian Mancera Cota)
- Plan to return grizzlies to the North Cascades appears to be in hibernation (John Ryan)
- Josephine County commissioners complicate the approval of a new library lease (Roman Battaglia)
- From California to Oregon, one diver’s battle to bring families closure (Justin Higginbottom)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- 2 Detroit residents reflect on anniversary of Santiam Canyon fires, journeys of recovery
Steak dinners on their way to the table, complete with that signature RingSide sizzle.
Lisa Wood / OPB
Portland’s RingSide Steakhouse returns with its signature flair
RingSide Steakhouse, one of Portland’s oldest family-run restaurants, is open again after a four-month closure due to a kitchen fire.
The family-owned establishment has operated since 1944 and offers a dining experience beloved by generations of Oregonians.
RingSide has been through two fires 50 years apart and a pandemic. In a rapidly changing world, it has managed to evolve while remaining a classic beacon of nostalgia. (Lisa Wood)
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