Akawa Butte Fire: Mop-up continues ahead of public meeting tonight

Bend, ORE. (KTVZ) --- The Akawa Butte Fire remains active as of July 28, 2026, with crews continuing mop-up operations today to identify and extinguish hot spots. A community meeting will be held tonight, Tuesday, at 6:30 p.m. at the Sisters High School Auditorium to provide updates to the public.

Firefighters used handheld infrared detection equipment along the northern edge of the fire area overnight to locate and mark heat sources. These hot spots will be extinguished as part of ongoing mop-up operations in Sisters, Ore.

Structural protection crews have established 200-foot buffers around residences and other structures within the fire area. These crews will continue to monitor and patrol residential areas while supporting wildland firefighting efforts.

Resources from the Oregon State Fire Marshal continue to be reassigned to assist with other wildfires, including the nearby Bench Fire.

Work on contingency lines, designed as a secondary defense in case the fire breaches primary containment lines, is nearly completed.

The public is urged to exercise caution while driving in the region due to increased fire activity and the presence of heavy fire equipment. Closed areas and existing evacuation orders are in place to ensure public and firefighter safety.

Elevated fire weather conditions, characterized by hot, dry and breezy conditions, are forecast to continue throughout the week.

Evacuation orders are issued by the respective county sheriff's offices. Evacuation centers are available at Sisters High School for people and at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds for large animals.

The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service have implemented closures in and around the fire area. Information on these closures, including those for Deschutes National Forest and Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland, is available on their respective websites.

Air quality information and a two-day smoke outlook are available via fire.airnow.gov and outlooks.airfire.org.

The community meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. will be live-streamed on the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District Facebook Page and later posted on YouTube. Updated information on evacuations and closures is available through the Deschutes and Jefferson County Sheriff's Offices websites.