Four victims of the McKinney Fire positively identified through DNA and dental analysis
By Laura Studley and Zoe Sottile, CNN Officials have identified four people killed in the McKinney Fire in California as residents of the same…
Continue ReadingFire Alert
Idaho wildfire burning near Lake Cascade forces evacuations
By KEITH RIDLER Associated Press BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Evacuations are in place ahead of a west-central Idaho wildfire that continues to grow despite…
Continue Reading
Sisters town hall held on state’s development of defensible space codes
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) — Just about anyone living in Oregon is probably familiar with the term ‘defensible space’. As the West has entered into a new…
Continue ReadingFire closes highway, prompts evacuations near Spokane
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A wildfire has closed part of a highway and prompted mandatory evacuations south of Spokane. The Washington State Patrol on…
Continue Reading
Cedar Creek Fire grows to nearly 5,000 acres; drones play key role in fight; public meeting tonight
The nearly 3-week-old Cedar Creek Fire near Waldo Lake continues to grow amid warm, dry conditions, and unmanned aerial systems — drones — are…
Continue Reading
Oregon fire marshal holding 5 C.O. town hall meetings this week on upcoming defensible space rules
The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal is hosting a series of town hall meetings, including five this week in Central Oregon, about the 2022 Oregon…
Continue Reading
Two lightning-sparked fires held small on Crescent Ranger District; one near Bobby Lake tops nine acres
Firefighters made good progress Tuesday on two new lightning-sparked wildfires spotted Monday evening on the Crescent Ranger District of the…
Continue Reading
‘Kicking butt’: ODF says it’s dousing wildfires quickly this year, thanks to more people and equipment
“Frankly, our people have been kicking butt,” said the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Tim Holschbach, Deputy Chief of Policy and Planning for…
Continue Reading
Four-acre brush fire NW of Madras rekindles next day, prompts closure of Hwy. 26; Cedar Creek Fire nearly 4,500 acres
A four-acre brush fire that Jefferson County Fire District crews put out north of Madras Saturday apparently rekindled in windy conditions early…
Continue Reading
New fire stopped small NE of Cultus Lake; Cedar Creek Fire tops 4,000 acres as more blazes fought across NW
While a few larger wildfires are being fought around the Northwest, some not far from Central Oregon, another small blaze was stopped at a half-acre…
Continue Reading
State says Oregon insurers have no plans to use controversial wildfire risk map in their decisions
Insurance companies in Oregon did not use, and currently have no plans to use, the state’s controversial wildfire risk map in their decision-making,…
Continue Reading
Comparison of this year’s NW wildfires to last year shows a stark difference — so far
While we’ve seen wildfires burn throughout Oregon and Washington this summer, especially in recent weeks, it’s been a more mild fire season than we…
Continue Reading
Michigan firefighter struck by tree, killed while fighting Big Swamp Fire on Willamette National Forest
A firefighter died Wednesday after being struck by a tree while helping battle the Big Swamp Fire on the Willamette National Forest near Oakridge,…
Continue Reading
Fifteen new C.O. fires reported Wednesday in wake of latest lightning; largest grows to 120 acres
Fifteen new fires were reported Wednesday to the Central Oregon Interagency Dispatch Center, and crews again were able to keep most small, at less…
Continue Reading
Crews battling Cedar Creek Fire near Waldo Lake also help stop new lightning-sparked blazes
Crews working to contain the nearly 3,800-acre Cedar Creek Fire near Waldo Lake also were able to tackle several new lightning-sparked fires in the…
Continue Reading
Central Oregon lightning strikes tracked on maps, and with cameras
An Oregon Department of Forestry staff member uses a live map to track lightning strikes around the region, and a network of cameras to watch for new…
Continue ReadingLongtime Forest Service employee killed in California blaze
KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters battling the McKinney Fire in Northern California on Monday remembered long-time U.S. Forest Service…
Continue ReadingCedar Creek Fire near Waldo Lake nearly doubles in size, tops 3,200 acres; more heat, storms due
The Cedar Creek Fire that has closed the Waldo Creek Wilderness Area surged and nearly doubled in size on Sunday, topping 3,200 acres as the National…
Continue Reading
Cedar Creek Fire near Waldo Lake tops 1,800 acres, still zero containment; more progress on other blazes
While firefighters continued making progress Sunday on several mostly lightning-sparked wildfires around the region, officials on the still-growing…
Continue Reading
‘No new starts’: Welcome words while crews work to contain the region’s largest wildfires
A break in the extreme heat (which is set to return) and in the recent thunderstorms have allowed thousands of Northwest firefighters to build lines…
Continue Reading