Northwest Wildfire Outbreak: 140 New Fires Ignite Across Oregon and Washington in 72 Hours

A dramatic lightning siege has triggered one of the most intense wildfire outbreaks in recent Pacific Northwest history, with 140 new fires reported across Oregon and Washington in just 72 hours. As of July 19, 2026, the region is burning on a scale not seen this early in the season, and firefighting resources are stretched to their limits.

Scale of the Outbreak

Ted Pierce, manager of the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center (NWCC) in Portland, confirmed that 140 new fires were ignited by lightning strikes on Wednesday and Thursday, July 16–17, burning through more than 30,000 acres within days. The Northwest Geographic Area — encompassing Oregon and Washington — is now the most active region in the country.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), as of July 18 there are 28 large fires burning in Oregon alone, with 8 large fires in Washington and 4 in Idaho. Combined with fires elsewhere in the West, the nation is now tracking 73 large fires across 12 states, burning approximately 741,123 acres.

Northwest Preparedness Level at Maximum

Both the Northwest Geographic Area and the nation as a whole have reached Preparedness Level 5 — the highest level of resource mobilization and fire management readiness. The ten-year average for July is Preparedness Level 3, making this a significantly above-average fire season for the region.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center is coordinating resources across federal and state agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Key Fires Burning in Oregon

East Evans Creek Fire — 13,000+ acres near Medford/Rogue River, 8% contained as of July 18
Lower Dry Creek Fire — 6,700+ acres in Umatilla County, near 0% containment, triggering Level 3 evacuations
Rowe Creek Complex — Wheeler County, Emergency Conflagration Act invoked July 18
Akawa Butte and Brewer Fires — Deschutes and Jefferson counties, 0% containment, Conflagration Act invoked
Crosswhite Fire — Wheeler County, approximately 4,000 acres
Salmon and Olive Butte Fires — Grant County, both at 10% containment as of July 16

Washington Fires

Lyons Ferry Fire — approximately 30,000 acres near Kahlotus in Adams County, sending heavy smoke into Spokane
Royal Lake Fire — approximately 12,000 acres
Kaiser Canyon Fire — approximately 2,200 acres

Year-to-Date Context

Through July 18, 2026, a total of 40,357 fires have burned more than 3.85 million acres nationwide — well ahead of the comparable period in 2025 (38,430 fires, 2.83 million acres) and 2023 (27,715 fires, 793,198 acres). The conditions in the Northwest are driving much of this year’s elevated national totals.