A lightning storm passed through Central Oregon Monday July 8 and ignited at least 15 new fires, most of them clustered east of Prineville. The largest one is the Willow Fire at 800 acres as of Wednesday, July 9. It’s burning in southeast Crook County about 20 miles north of Glass Butte on BLM land. The Crook County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Level 3 Go Now! evacuation order for the area.
The Foley Creek Fire, estimated to be 30 acres burning on private land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), 20 miles north of Prineville.
The second largest fire ignited yesterday in Central Oregon is the Board Hollow Fire in Jefferson County one mile NE of A-Y Road. It is near the Foley Creek area and is also on private lands protected by the ODF. The Board Hollow Fire is 21.5 acres and numerous ODF engines, crews and Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATs) have been responding to both incidents.
Prineville District BLM is managing the Dry Creek Fire near juniper canyon outside of Prineville. The fire is 11 acres and had 3 engines responding alongside Crook County Fire and Rescue. A crew will also be on scene working alongside the engines to secure the perimeter today.
US Forest Service firefighters on the Ochoco National Forest are responding to the Trout Creek Fire is 8 acres burning in timber and grass approximately 2 miles northwest of roster rock, 18 miles northeast of Prineville. Several BLM and USFS engines and a dozer are responding.
US Forest Service firefighters on the Deschutes National Forest have picked up 6 fires so far, mostly in the Cline Buttes and Eagle Crest areas, and in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. The largest of these fires is ¼ acre and all are expected to be contained and controlled by the end of shift today.
Fires can ignite up to 14 days after a lightning strike so firefighters across Central Oregon will remain vigilant for additional starts from yesterday’s lighting in the days ahead. Today, the weather forecast calls for breezy afternoon conditions with low relative humidity, which could challenge suppression efforts.
Information on this fire will be posted on the official source for wildfire information in Central Oregon at centraloregonfire.orgor on X/Twitter @CentralORfire.
Call 9-1-1 to report a wildfire. For smoke and air quality information visit fire.airnow.gov.
This article appears in Source Weekly July 3, 2025.
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