A new wildfire broke out Sunday, June 7, in a rural stretch of Central Oregon east of Highway 26 and west of Highway 97, near the boundary between Jefferson County and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation. The blaze has been named the Tmsh Fire.
The fire was estimated at approximately 5 acres when first reported, according to Watch Duty, the wildfire tracking service. Information from official agencies remained limited in the initial hours, with no cause, containment status, or immediate threat to nearby communities released.
The fire is burning in a sparsely populated rural zone between the two boundaries — terrain that has seen multiple fire ignitions this season as Central Oregon endures what fire managers are calling an early and aggressive fire year.
An Already Busy Fire Season
The Tmsh Fire is the latest in a string of Jefferson County-area wildfires in 2026. Earlier incidents this spring include the Seagull Fire near Warm Springs in mid-May, which prompted evacuation alerts, and a separate vegetation fire on June 4 that briefly triggered a Level 3 "Go Now" evacuation order for residents along Upper Dry Creek, Beaver Drive, and George Drive in Warm Springs before being downgraded to Level 1 the same evening.
The Oregon Department of Forestry placed Jefferson County — along with Crook, Deschutes, Gilliam, and Wheeler counties — under a Regulated Use Closure effective May 18, restricting campfires, chainsaw use, off-road driving, and fireworks across forest protection districts. That closure remains in effect.
What to Watch
Residents near the Highway 26 corridor and the Warm Springs Reservation boundary are urged to monitor Watch Duty and Frontier Regional 911 for the latest evacuation status updates. Jefferson County Emergency Management advises all residents in fire-prone areas to have a go-bag ready and know their evacuation routes.
Current fire danger across the region is rated High, driven by warm, dry, and windy conditions that arrived unusually early this year — conditions ODF noted are more typical of mid-June and beyond.
The Madras Bulletin will continue to update this developing story as more information becomes available from fire agencies and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.