Cattle graze near a burned area shrouded in smoke from the Rowe Creek Complex Fire on July 21, 2026 in Twickenham, Wheeler County, Ore. The Rowe Creek Complex Fire, which spread to 149,000 acres by Tuesday, is a cluster of wildfires that were sparked by lightning storms last week.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
More than 500,000 acres have burned in Oregon from wildfires that were sparked last week by lightning storms. That includes the Rowe Creek Complex that has grown to roughly 150,000 acres and triggered level 1, 2 and 3 evacuation notices for residents in Wheeler and Wasco counties. The fires have also led to air quality advisories for more than a third of the counties in the state.
Rangeland Fire Protection Associations have been working with state and federal agencies to respond to the Rowe Creek Complex and other fires in remote, difficult terrain. There are currently 29 RFPAs in Oregon. Their members are ranchers and private landowners who volunteer to help fight wildfires on private rangelands in coordination with the Oregon Department of Forestry and other state and federal agencies.
Ted Netter is a rancher and chairman of the Oregon RFPA Advisory Committee and the fire supervisor of the Lower Bridge RFPA, which serves Jefferson and Deschutes counties. Ross Ryno is a rancher and member of the Twickenham RFPA, which serves parts of Wheeler County.
They join us to talk about their efforts to protect their homes and communities from the Rowe Creek Complex and Akawa Butte fire burning near Sisters.
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