Thousands of firefighters were still deployed across Oregon on Thursday, ahead of weather conditions that could get worse in some parts of the state before they improve. High winds and thunderstorms are in the forecast for large parts of northeast and Central Oregon and across Idaho.
Areas of the John Day Valley, the central and southern Blue Mountains and the southern reaches of the Deschutes National Forest could see abundant lightning and thunderstorms, combined with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour. That could cause new wildfires to start and spread quickly.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Kyle Sanders of the Golf Company, 1st Battalion, 189th Aviation, looks down on the Hagen Fire in Umatilla County, Ore., Aug 10, 2026 during a water drop.
Maj. Wayne Clyne / Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings for large parts of northeast and Central Oregon and across Idaho.
That’s worrying firefighters on the massive Rowe Creek Complex Fire, which has burned more than 370,000 acres and led to a prolonged closure of U.S. Highway 26 between Mitchell and Prineville, according to a briefing posted Thursday by the Oregon State Fire Marshal.
The red flag warning for Rowe Creek is in effect from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday. Onsite incident meteorologist Luis Ingram-Westover said in a video update that crews expect thunderstorms to develop between Bend and Burns and move northeast toward the fire perimeter.
Highway 26 reopened Thursday morning, and fires that collectively make up the Rowe Creek Complex were 79% contained, but increased fire risk could jeopardize that progress.
The Wheeler County Sheriff’s Office noted that the highway could close again, and asked drivers to go slow and watch for fire crews. Travelers should expect smoke and low visibility and should check TripCheck.com for the latest road closures, the sheriff’s office said.
“[C]onditions could reignite smoldering fuels and test the 107.1 miles of uncontained fire line that surround roughly 30,000 acres of uncontrolled ground,” the fire marshal’s office wrote.
Weather could also challenge crews fighting the Hagen Fire east of Pendleton, which has prompted road closures in Union County and evacuations in Union and Umatilla counties.
The National Weather Service in Pendleton has issued a red flag warning for abundant lightning from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday.
The Hagen Fire was 11% contained as of Thursday afternoon. Officials said the Paradise Fire, located north of the Hagen Fire, had grown 500 acres since the previous day.
Crews fighting both of those blazes, as well as the Horse Ridge Fire to the south, said Thursday that they’re hoping the higher humidity levels that come with changing weather could assist their efforts.
The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation was bracing for smoke with forecasters saying air quality could worsen over the course of the day.
Grasshopper Fire
Higher temperatures, lower humidity and shifting winds could also provide a challenge for crews fighting the Grasshopper Fire east of Mount Hood, fire officials said in an update posted online Thursday morning. They’re concerned a thunderstorm is possible along the fire’s western edge, and firefighters could see gusty and erratic winds in the afternoon.
At least six houses and 15 smaller structures have been destroyed by the fire, with officials still working to identify if more structures have been lost, according to the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office. The Grasshopper Fire was 20% contained as of Thursday afternoon.
An informational meeting for the communities affected by the fire will be held at Dufur School Thursday at 6 p.m.
Wrights Spring Fire
In Southern Oregon, firefighting crews have been making progress against the Wrights Spring Fire northeast of Klamath Falls, Brent Olson with the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s office said in a video briefing Thursday morning.
Crews on that fire have been focused on protecting structures, including in the Bly Mountain community east of the blaze, as well as historical buildings near Mitchell Road to the south. “The structural threat is starting to reduce,” Olson said.
The Wrights Spring Fire was 6% contained as of Thursday afternoon.
More than 2 million acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management public lands have burned across Oregon and Washington so far this year. The agency said Thursday it’s keeping fire restrictions in place as it navigates “an exceptionally strenuous wildfire season.”
Big Grass Fire
A red flag warning for the Big Grass Fire in southeastern Oregon is in effect until 6 a.m. Friday, according to incident meteorologist Rich Thompson.
He said gusty winds and the chance of dry thunderstorms forecasted for this weekend could threaten progress on the fire, which is burning well over 500,000 acres on the border between Oregon and southwestern Idaho.
