Fire Season

The Trump administration’s hiring freeze and funding cuts could have devastating impacts on firefighting efforts in the Pacific Northwest, federal lawmakers warn.

The Legislature spent $218 million to cover the costs of the most expensive fire season on record.

Officials attribute discord to strained firefighting resources and rising fire protection rates.

July is almost over and the Pacific Northwest has seen relatively few large and devastating wildfires compared to recent years. Here's where things stood as of Friday.

A new wildfire that started over the weekend in Southwestern Oregon is threatening the small rural community of Agness. The fire has already grown more than 5,000 acres in less than two days.

As of Sunday morning, the Tunnel 5 Fire burning in Skamania County in Southwest Washington was 65% contained, according to a fire update provided by the interagency Southwest Washington Fire Information Facebook page.

The Double Creek Fire, a massive wildfire in Wallowa County, continues to grow swiftly, nearly doubling its size on Wednesday.

The U.S. is spending record money suppressing wildfires that are only getting more deadly and severe with climate change. But there are signs the needle is moving toward more upfront prevention work.

Between Tuesday night and Wednesday, more than 5,200 lightning strikes were reported throughout the state. There were another 250 reports of of lightning in Washington.

This week’s heat wave doesn’t mean western Oregon is at increased risk for wildfires, at least in the short term.