Fire Information Phone: 541-970-7128 (8 am – 8 pm; voice only; texts will not be received)
Email: 2026.paradise@firenet.gov
Inciweb: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/
AirNow: https://fire.airnow.gov
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592064000400
July 25, 2026
Critical Fire Weather Prompts Red Flag Warning
Update: Very dry windy conditions are forecast across all fires this afternoon, prompting a Red Flag Warning. Winds from the west to northwest with gusts up to 30 mph on ridgetops are expected in the afternoon and evening. These conditions will favor containment efforts on the north and west sides of the fires but may spread fires to the east and south.
Additional firefighters and equipment are arriving for assignment to these high-priority fires, joining firefighting operations based in Walla Walla and Athena. The Oregon State Fire Marshal has mobilized an incident management team and five structural task forces to this fire and is in unified command with Northwest Team 7. The Incident Management Team is working in close coordination with Umatilla and Walla Walla County Sheriff’s offices, City of Walla Walla, state agencies, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to protect values at risk.
Values at risk include human safety, structures and communities, protection of municipal water supply, railroad corridors, private timber and range lands, and recreation opportunities. Because of threatened structures these fires have become a top national priority for critically important firefighting resources like aircraft, crews and equipment.
For all fires, the objective is full extinguishment as efficiently and safely as possible. Firefighters are using tactics and strategies that provide the highest likelihood of success while mitigating risks to responders. This means a combination of direct fire line construction at the fires’ edge where possible, and indirect control lines where they can be defended and successfully contain the fire.
The Paradise Fire (720 acres) about 10 miles southeast of Walla Walla showed minimal growth yesterday. Teams have identified good, defensible indirect line locations and line construction is underway, using helicopter water drops to keep the fire in check. Additional crews and equipment have been assigned to accelerate this work, including dozers and chippers. Because The Paradise Fire is entirely within the municipal watershed for the City of Walla Walla and requires very careful suppression activity to preserve the integrity of the watershed.
The Hagen Fire (19, 310 acres) about 9 miles southwest of Tollgate, Ore. burned actively yesterday. Helicopters delivered over 50,000 gallons of water drops, and water-scooping airplanes delivered over 30,000 gallons to keep the fire within containment lines and away from structures. Growth was to the south and east. Firefighters maintained containment south of Bingham Road, and worked to locate fire line opportunities to contain the fire where it crossed Stumbough Ridge on the west side of the fire. Firefighters are constructing a contingency line on the ridge line north of Bingham Road to further protect the Highway 204 corridor. Crews are working to assess and protect structures on the west side of the fire.
The Horse Ridge Fire (794 acres) about 5 miles northeast of Meacham, Ore. has settled down and containment is progressing well. Firefighters are reinforcing fire lines and mopping up along the fire’s edge. Today’s wind will test containment lines.
The Ninemile Fire (100 acres) about 4 miles southwest of Tollgate within the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness, did not grow yesterday. Because this fire is directly in the probable path of the Hagen Fire, it is expected that the two fires will merge.
Evacuation Levels: The Umatilla County Sheriff reminds the public that due to the remote nature of these affected areas, residents must remain extremely vigilant and proactively monitor surrounding fire activity. Fire conditions can change rapidly. Evacuation levels have been elevated in areas of Umatilla County, Union County and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. See the advisories at https://www.umatillacounty.net/departments/sheriffs-office/emergency-management/emergency-advisories. Follow the Sheriff’s Office on Facebook for evacuation updates: https://www.facebook.com/UmatillaCountySheriff .
Fire and Fuels Advisory: The Northwest Coordination Center’s Predictive Services has issued an advisory https://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/content/pdfs/Fuels_and_Fire_Behavior_Advisory_PNW_20260714.pdf for most of Oregon and Washington that warns of dryer than normal fuel conditions due to record low snowpacks that will contribute to more active fire behavior and longer burning periods than is normal for this time of year.
Weather and Fire Behavior: An on-shore flow will bring breezy west to northwest winds today with gusts around 30 mph on ridgetops. Warm, dry and unstable air over the fire will support fire spread, with steady spread backing fire in heavy fuels and the potential for spotting, short uphill runs and isolated torching.
Smoke Outlook: For current smoke reports visit https://fire.airnow.gov
Fire Restrictions: The Umatilla National Forest has issued public use restrictions https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/umatilla/alerts/phase-c-public-use-restrictions for smoking, off-road travel, and chainsaw use across the entire national forest.
Umatilla National Forest Closures: Forest officials have issued the following Forest Closure Order, ttps://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/nfs/files/r06/umatilla/publication/alerts/06-14-06-26-08_OrderUpdated.pdf for public safety and to facilitate firefighting operations. Areas included in the closure include Corporation Guard Station and Trailhead, North Fork Umatilla Trailhead, Umatilla Fork Day-Use Area and Campground, Buck Creek Cabin, and Buck Creek Trailhead.
Air Space Restrictions: Temporary Flight Restrictions are in place over the wildfires. If you fly, we can’t. Every time a drone is spotted near the fire all aircraft are grounded until we can be sure the drone is clear of this area. http://knowbeforeyoufly.org
