Incident Updates

The Tartar Fire near Weiser, Idaho, has grown to over 107,000 acres after a dramatic 20-mile overnight run toward the community that forced Level 3 evacuations and temporarily closed US Highway 95. The fire is 16 percent contained.

Seven new large fires were reported on August 2 alone, including the Moose Mountain Fire in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, two new fires in Montana, and the I-5 MM 57 NB Fire threatening critical transportation infrastructure in southern Oregon.

The Tartar Fire burning near Weiser in Washington County has grown to more than 97,000 acres with just 16% containment, forcing evacuations and closing Highway 95. FEMA approved federal funding to assist with firefighting costs through the Fire Management Assistance Grant program.

NIFC confirms 99 large fires burning nationally as of August 3, with 5.2 million acres burned in 2026. The Pacific Northwest accounts for the largest concentration of fire activity, with Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana collectively burning nearly 2 million acres this season.

The Shingle Fire near Mitchell, Oregon has burned 66,299 acres with 10% containment, triggering evacuations across Wheeler County and emergency closures of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Sheep Rock Unit.

The Shingle Fire (66,299 acres, 10% contained) and Grasshopper Fire (21,126 acres, 0% contained) continue threatening central Oregon communities as a critical wind event arrives this weekend.

The Grasshopper Fire in Wasco County prompted Oregon's 11th Emergency Conflagration Act invocation of 2026 on July 29. The fire has grown to over 9,500 acres near Maupin and received a FEMA Fire Management Assistance Grant as it threatens communities including Tygh Valley and Wamic.

Oregon's Coleman Creek Fire has exploded to 146,293 acres with zero containment in Harney and Malheur counties, prompting Level 3 evacuations for Juntura and threatening Highway 20.

The Big Grass Fire, burning about 25 miles southwest of Jordan Valley, Oregon, has grown to approximately 288,000–300,000 acres with just 5% containment, forcing Level 3 evacuations in Pleasant Valley, South Mountain, and Jordan Valley.

The Castle Fire on the Umpqua National Forest near Milo has reached 1,400 acres and been assigned an Australian-New Zealand Incident Management Team, while the Grasshopper Fire in Mt. Hood National Forest holds at 10,700 acres with crews protecting key containment lines.

The Grasshopper Fire, sparked by lightning on July 23 in the Mount Hood National Forest near Wamic, has grown to more than 9,500 acres with no containment. FEMA has authorized emergency suppression funds as Go Now evacuation orders cover Hood River and Wasco county communities.

Firefighter Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska — a member of the Rifle Helitack crew — has died from burn injuries sustained during the June 27 Knowles Fire burnover in western Colorado. Three colleagues died at the scene in what became one of the deadliest wildfire incidents of 2026.

The Hagen, Horse Ridge, Paradise, and Ninemile fires are burning near Pendleton in the Umatilla National Forest, with Level 3 evacuations along Bingham Road and the Umatilla River Corridor and a shelter open at Blue Mountain Community College.

The lightning-sparked Little Giant Fire in the Glacier Peak Wilderness near Leavenworth exploded from 1,100 to 7,558 acres in 36 hours, dropping to 0% contained and triggering expanded Level 3 evacuations in the Chiwawa River drainage.

A roundup of the latest containment and acreage figures for the Pacific Northwest's most significant active fire incidents, including the massive Brewer Fire in the Ochocos and the Kaiser Canyon Fire on Washington's Colville Reservation.

The Kaiser Canyon Fire near Nespelem in Okanogan County has burned nearly 80,000 acres with 13 structures lost and just 1% contained, while the Modrite, Ptarmigan, and Little Giant fires also grow across northeastern and north-central Washington.

Idaho's Turner Fire near Copeland is 79% contained at 681 acres after a strong initial response by Northern Rockies Team 1. Meanwhile, Washington's Garred Road Fire threatens the Sun Lakes area with Level 3 evacuations, and the Kaiser Canyon Fire near Nespelem continues to prompt evacuations in Okanogan County.

The Rowe Creek Complex in Wheeler and Wasco counties has grown to nearly 143,000 acres with zero containment, making it the largest active wildfire in the United States. Lightning-sparked and burning through grass, brush, and timber, the complex is driving evacuation orders across two counties.

NW Incident Management Team 12 is managing two large fires in the Tri-Forest area of eastern Oregon, where lightning ignitions on July 7–8 sparked the Salmon Fire (1,495 acres) and the adjacent Olive Butte Fire (2,747 acres). Both remain at 15% containment as heavy fuel loading and steep terrain slow progress.

The East Evans Creek Fire near Medford has grown past 13,000 acres with only 8% containment. More than 1,650 firefighters are assigned as the fire threatens Rogue Valley communities.