The Rowe Creek Complex fire — one of the largest wildfires in Oregon this summer — grew to 367,847 acres as of Sunday, August 9, with containment climbing to 79%. The lightning-caused fire, which ignited July 15 about ten miles south of Fossil, continues to burn across Jefferson, Crook, Wheeler, and Wasco counties.

US Highway 26 remains closed between mile marker 29.2 and mile marker 66, stretching roughly from east of Prineville toward Mitchell. Fire officials are urging the public to stay out of restricted areas, noting that firefighters on the ground have reported an increase in unauthorized traffic in the closure zone. Travelers are encouraged to check real-time road conditions at tripcheck.com before heading out.

New Unified Command Structure

Sunday morning brought a significant organizational shift: the Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2 (SWCIMT2) was joined in unified command by the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Red Team, accompanied by Oregon Department of Forestry Team 2. The integrated approach divides responsibilities — SWCIMT2 focuses on wildland firefighting while OSFM Red concentrates on structure protection — allowing each team to leverage its specialization.

About 1,615 personnel are currently working the fire across multiple flanks, supported by air resources dropping both retardant and water.

Firefighting at the Highway 26 Pinch Point

Saturday night's better relative humidity gave crews a brief window to work trouble spots on the fireline. At the southern tip near the junctions of US-26, Salmon Creek Road, and County Road 23 (Ochoco Creek Road), firefighters battled spot fires and slopovers. By afternoon Sunday, a spot south of Ranger Station Road had grown to about 10 acres, but dozer lines had already been cut to tie it to the road. Crews were also using heavy equipment to prepare Forest Service Roads 2610 and 2670 as contingency containment lines near the highway.

Structure protection tasks were performed in the Mill Creek and Cougar Mountain communities and around the Ochoco Ranger Station area.

Jefferson County Fire Roundup

While the Rowe Creek Complex commands the most attention, other fires across the region have seen encouraging developments:

  • Round Butte Fire (near Culver): 1,160 acres, 90% contained. All evacuation orders have been lifted. Fire burned on private land and Crooked River National Grassland near SW Boulder Lane.
  • Bench Fire (Warm Springs Reservation): Still burning, but no Level 3 evacuation orders remain. The fire destroyed at least six homes and burned tens of thousands of acres. Long-term recovery is underway.
  • Mud Springs Fire (northeast of Gateway): 81 acres along NE Cook Lane and NE Coleman Road. Containment lines have been completed around the entire perimeter.

Jefferson County Fire & EMS closed burn barrels county-wide effective August 4 for the remainder of the fire season. Residents are reminded to honor all fire restrictions and report new smoke immediately by calling 911.