Oregon fire officials are heading into the peak of the 2026 fire season with a sobering assessment: the state will need every available firefighter and aircraft — and is already facing competition for those resources with neighboring states facing similarly dire conditions.
Governor Kotek Declares State of Emergency
Governor Tina Kotek has declared a state of emergency due to the imminent threat of wildfires, a move that unlocks critical resources including the ability to call in the National Guard, their aircraft, and hand crews to assist with fire suppression. The declaration signals that Oregon is treating the 2026 fire season as a top-tier threat from the outset rather than waiting for disaster to strike.
A Regional Resource Crunch
At a recent legislative hearing, Oregon State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple and State Forester Kacey KC outlined the challenge: most of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Northern California are all considered at risk of "significant wildland fire potential" beginning in July. That means the entire region will be competing for the same finite pool of federal and contract firefighters, air tankers, and helicopters at the same time.
"That's where we have this competition of resources," Ruiz-Temple told lawmakers. "We will never have enough firefighters to handle the wildfires we're seeing in Oregon and across the West."
State Forester KC echoed the concern: "There's some competition for sure for aircraft, and not every aircraft is suitable for every fire."
2026 Analog Years: 2015 and 2018
Based on current climatic and fuel conditions, fire officials say 2026 is shaping up similar to the analog years of 2015 — when 686,000 acres burned in Oregon — and 2018, when nearly 900,000 acres were consumed statewide. A severe drought band extending from the southwest to northeast corners of Oregon closely tracks with where fire officials expect the highest risk.
While the early start to the season is concerning, officials noted a silver lining: it gives Oregon more lead time to coordinate mutual aid agreements with surrounding states and the federal government before simultaneous large-fire events exhaust shared resources.
Prevention Messaging Ramping Up
With the transition from human-caused ignitions into the dry lightning season underway, the Oregon State Fire Marshal and Oregon Department of Forestry are jointly amplifying prevention outreach. Fire restrictions are in place across most of Central Oregon and expanding as conditions worsen. Residents are reminded that it only takes one spark to start the next major incident.