Bench Fire has burned more than 6,000 acres as of July 26, 2026.
Courtesy of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
Over the weekend, the Bench and Beachcomb fires experienced heightened activity and merged into a single fire, now called the Bench Fire.
Much of the area is under a Level 3 “Go Now!” evacuation order, but getting out proved difficult for some.
Alysia Klick’ump is a fly fishing guide who lives on the Warm Springs reservation where she grew up.
Her house is one of the residences under a Level 3 evacuation order. She said she and her husband, Elke Littleleaf, tried to leave on Saturday but couldn’t.
“We got packed up in our camper to evacuate, and the highway closed on each end of our reservation,” Klick’ump said. “We couldn’t evacuate and were up until 1 or 2 a.m.”
There were shelters set up at safer points around the reservation, but Klick’ump said they filled up fast, and she decided it was easier to be at home where she can check on friends and family who stayed too.
Yesterday, following an afternoon spent praying and dancing during the Huckleberry Feast Ceremony, she returned to what she said felt like a war zone.
Alysia Klick’ump and her husband Elke Littleleaf at the Huckleberry Fest Ceremony on Sunday, July 26, 2026 in Warm Springs. The couple danced and prayed at the ceremony before learning that the Bench Fire had spread and evacuation notices were issued.
Courtesy of Alysia Klick’ump
“We’re coming down the grade where people come down from Portland, Highway 26, and we could just see the smoke inflaming and engulfing the hillside,” she said.
The couple went to check on an 80-year-old friend who lives close to where the fire was active and found the area surrounded by firefighters bulldozing a protective line and working to secure homes.
“She was freaking out. She was crying,” Klick’ump said. “I don’t know what a war zone feels like, but I’ve never had so many helicopters and airplanes fly over us like that and never seen anything that close.”
The firefighters assured them that they wouldn’t let the fire cross their line, she said. That night, she slept better, but she and her husband remained packed to leave at a moment’s notice.
“Our camper’s loaded,” Klick’ump said. “Our important paperwork and our essentials.”
Outside of the reservation, tribal members like Amanda Squiemphen’yazzie are organizing donations to send to their community in Warm Springs.
Squiemphen’yazzie is co-leading the effort in Portland to gather essentials such as water, no-cook foods, basic medical supplies, blankets, personal hygiene kits and N95 masks, for people directly impacted by the Bench Fire.
She said it hurts to not be with her community while they’re in the midst of the fire.
‘It’s devastating to see my family, my friends, my relatives not have a place to go, just looking for places to stay,” she said. “I have family who are on the front lines of the fire,” she added with her voice catching. “They’re working really hard. Yeah, I’m just really proud of them.”
The Warm Springs Tribal Chairman Dennis White III and the 30th Tribal Council released a statement Monday afternoon sending prayers to their community and tribal members impacted by the fire.
“My thoughts are especially with the families who have lost their homes during these devastating fires,” White III said in a statement. “I ask everyone to continue following evacuation orders, remain vigilant, and keep our firefighters, first responders, emergency personnel, and all those affected in your prayers. Together we will support one another as we move through this emergency.”
On Saturday, the council declared a state of emergency for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs after considering the fire’s rapidly changing conditions.
Crews continue to work the fire on Monday under high temperatures in the 90s and light wind. Officials say that more resources are on order. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
