Paradise and Hagen Fire Updates for Aug 18, 2026

 Contact Information: Fire Information    541-970-7128    2026.paradise@firenet.gov

Northern Rockies Team 6, Incident Commander Rich Cowger 

Hagen Fire
Latest Intelligence
Size: 57,678
Containment: 19%
Personnel: 957

Paradise Fire
Latest Intelligence
Size: 5,423 acres
Containment: 0%
Personnel: 349

Key Message

A new incident management team, Southern Area Team 3, is transitioning in to take command of the fire from Northern Rockies Team 6 on Wednesday, August 19th. An increase in fire activity is expected today as fire managers expect near critical fire weather.

CURRENT CONDITIONS AND Planned activities

Paradise Fire

Defensive firing continued in the southeast portion of the fire along FS Road 64, extending fire lines, creating depth, and staying ahead of the fire. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS drones) will continue assisting ground resources in picking up heat signatures with infrared cameras, as crews take their time and safely stay ahead of the fire with burning operations. On the northern side of the fire, resources continue to monitor the fire’s edge, keeping the footprint minimal in the Mill Creek watershed. Chipping and mastication efforts continue around the fire perimeter, reducing fuel in critical portions of the fire.

Hagen Fire

The priority on the Hagen fire continues to be on the north central area, south of Highway 204. Monday, two hotshot crews finished building handline from Zig Zag Springs down to the North Fork of the Umatilla. They used defensive burning to remove fuels, reinforce lines, and keep the spread of the fire from moving north and west towards critical infrastructure. More defensive burning will continue in the southeast area of the fire, connecting the edges of burnt fingers, creating depth, and bringing the fire’s edge closer to control lines where mop-up is more beneficial. Mop-up continues across the fire perimeter, along with chipping vegetation with masticators and woodchippers, and prepping roadways to allow for more defensive burning. Yesterday afternoon, resources on the Hagen Fire responded to a new fire start west of Elgin, and assisted local resources in catching the ~26 acre start called the Phillips Creek Fire.

Weather and Fire Behavior

Warmer and drier conditions have replaced cooler and wetter conditions from the weekend, and fuels have begun to dry and become available for a longer burning period. Near critical fire weather is expected over the fire area with relative humidity 18-20% and wind gust around 20 mph. Expect increase in fire activity in the area. Fire managers and firefighters are preparing for the expected increase in fire behavior intensity and will move firefighting resources around to where the needs are most critical. 

EVACUATIONS

Evacuation Levels: 

Fire conditions can change rapidly. Evacuation levels and Road Closures are frequently adjusted. 

Umatilla County, Union County and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation 

County Emergency Management Websites:

Columbia County Emergency Management

Umatilla County Emergency Management 

Union County Emergency Management

Walla Walla County Emergency Management

Closures and Special Messages

Umatilla National Forest Closures: For public safety and to facilitate firefighting operations the following National Forest Closures have been issued. 

Hagen Fire: 

Expanded closure order for the Hagen Fire

Hagen and Horse Ridge Fire Emergency Closure

Paradise Fire: 

Paradise Fire Emergency Closure 

Road Closure Information: 

Oregon Department of Transportation Trip Check 

Fire Restrictions: The Umatilla National Forest has issued public use restrictions for smoking, off-road travel, and chainsaw use across the entire national forest.

Smoke Outlook: For current smoke reports visit https://fire.airnow.gov. 

Detailed Northeast Oregon Air Reports 

Detailed Southeast Washington Air Reports  

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

Bologna, Cottonwood, Little Bear, and Rosenbaum fires morning update, Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Contact Information: Fire Information    (503) 877-4580    IMT3.Fireinfo@ODF.oregon.gov

Bologna Fire:
Estimated Size: 4,509 acres
Containment: 83%
Cause: Lightning

Cottonwood Fire:
Estimated Size: 722 acres
Containment: 95%
Cause: Undetermined

Little Bear Fire:
Estimated Size: 67 acres
Containment: 95%
Cause: Human Caused

Rosenbaum Fire:
Estimated Size 483 acres
Containment: 38%
Cause: Lightning

Total Resources:
Hand Crews: 27
Engines: 22
Heavy Equipment: 13
Water Tenders: 13
Aviation: 8
Total Personnel: 644

Firefighters continue building containment across all fires, hot, dry and gusty conditions forecasted in the region

KIMBERLY, Ore. (Aug. 18, 2026) – Firefighters continue to make steady progress mopping up and building containment on the Bologna, Cottonwood, Little Bear and Rosenbaum fires. Mop-up operations are the methodical and systematic process of identifying and cooling hot spots along the fire’s edge to ensure that heat doesn’t reignite dry vegetation and loft embers outside the fire’s perimeter.

On the Rosenbaum fire, crews reached 38% containment and a mop up depth of 100-120 feet. They have mopped up well into 200 and 300 feet into the fire’s perimeter on the Bologna Fire and have placed the Cottonwood and Little Bear fires on patrol status, providing vigilant patrols to monitor and respond quickly if needed. Additionally, crews began some suppression repair work to prevent erosion and flooding.

This week, incident personnel expect more critical fire weather conditions, such as hot, dry and gusty conditions, as well as lightning forecasted in the greater region. This weather, paired with critically dry vegetation, creates conditions where any new fire starts can spread rapidly and likely result in extreme fire behavior. Incident personnel have identified initial attack resources to be prepared to assist local firefighting resources to quickly knock down any news starts. 

Incident officials urge public caution and ask everyone to follow local fire restrictions to help keep wildfires off the landscape.

Fire restrictions: Officials want to remind everyone that during fire season multiple agencies have restrictions in place to reduce human caused fires, including public use restrictions and limits on equipment use. Check with your local fire service organization before you start the next wildfire.

The Umatilla National Forest issued a temporary closure order for the Bologna Fire on August 11, 2026, which includes portions of Forest Service Roads (FSR) 24, as well as Tamarack Cabin and Lookout. For more information about the closure, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/umatilla/alerts 

Air Quality Information: Air quality updates: https://fire.airnow.gov/ 

If You Fly, We Can’t: Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR): A “TFR” is in place for the fire area daily (24 hours) until further notice. Flying a drone near or around a wildfire is illegal and compromises the safety of both pilots and firefighters and interferes with firefighting efforts.  If you fly, we can’t. All illegal drone use will be reported to law enforcement.

Morning Briefing 8/18/2026

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
August 18, 2026
BMIDC WEBSITE
8/17 (NEW) INITIAL ATTACK	Fires	Acres
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	0	0
Vale/PRD District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	3	26.6
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	3	26.6
INCIDENT SUMMARY
Previous Day 8/17/2026 BKEODF: - 2 Fires at .6 ACRES (Red Top .1 acres) (Gem .5 acres)   LGEODF – 1 Fire at 26 Acres: Phillips Creek

Paradise and Hagen Fire Updates for Aug 17, 2026

 Northern Rockies Team 6, Incident Commander Rich Cowger 

Hagen Fire
Latest Intelligence
Size: 56,869
Containment: 14%
Personnel: 944                                                                                                                     

Paradise Fire
Latest Intelligence
Size: 5,333 acres
Containment: 0%
Personnel: 353

Key Message

Smoke over the Paradise and Hagen Fires kept fire activity minimal over much of the fire area on Sunday.  A thunderstorm moved through between the Hagen Fire and Elgin but did not directly affect suppression activities.  Fire mangers are working hard to return things to a sense of normalcy for impacted communities. This includes constantly evaluating closures and evacuations with local emergency managers.

CURRENT CONDITIONS AND Planned activities

Paradise Fire

Fire behavior on the Paradise Fire on Sunday remained moderate with creeping, smoldering and backing fire throughout the fire area. As grasses and trees dry, however, fire activity is increasing.  Fire continues to slowly back down slope on Broken Ridge towards Mill Creek. Deliberate progress is being made to put line around the entirety of the fire with a focus on the south and east where fire activity is most prevalent. Line improvement operations were successful along portions of FSR 65 and will continue Monday. Firefighters are also moving east from the Mill Creek side to tie into this road system. On Sunday, a new, small fire was discovered south of the Paradise fire which resulted from a lightning strike during the previous day’s thunderstorms. A crew and aerial support from the Paradise fire were able to respond and help with containment.

Hagen Fire

Sunday was another active day in the Zig Zag Springs area. Air tankers dropped retardant along an open ridge south of the springs while a hot shot crew dug hand line. The crew then burned fuels near the retardant line creating a 600-1,000 ft buffer designed to stop the advance of the main fire. These firing operations continued through the night into Monday. Around the rest of the fire, firefighters continue to make steady progress with line preparation and mop up. As fuels dry and become more receptive, firing operations will remove unburned fuel between the control lines and the fire's edge, reinforcing and widening the control lines. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS Drones) will continue to gather intelligence and fly infrared missions to identify heat signatures that are outside or could threaten control lines. The objective remains to keep the lines as close to the fire's edge as possible. There was minimal activity along the Old Meachum Creek Road; lines held and crews will continue to mop up the area on Monday.

Weather and Fire Behavior

There is a 10% chance of isolated thunderstorms again on Monday. These thunderstorms will taper off starting Tuesday, when a warming and drying trend begins, accompanied by afternoon gusty winds up to 20 mph and temperatures in the mid-80s across higher elevations. Fire managers and firefighters are preparing for the expected increase in fire behavior intensity and will move firefighting resources around to where the needs are most critical.

EVACUATIONS

Evacuation Levels: 

Fire conditions can change rapidly. Evacuation levels and Road Closures are frequently adjusted. 

Umatilla County, Union County and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation 

County Emergency Management Websites:

Columbia County Emergency Management

Umatilla County Emergency Management 

Union County Emergency Management

Walla Walla County Emergency Management

Closures and Special Messages

Umatilla National Forest Closures: For public safety and to facilitate firefighting operations the following National Forest Closures have been issued. 

Hagen Fire: 

Expanded closure order for the Hagen Fire

Hagen and Horse Ridge Fire Emergency Closure

Paradise Fire: 

Paradise Fire Emergency Closure 

Road Closure Information: 

Oregon Department of Transportation Trip Check 

Fire Restrictions: The Umatilla National Forest has issued public use restrictions for smoking, off-road travel, and chainsaw use across the entire national forest.

Smoke Outlook: For current smoke reports visit https://fire.airnow.gov. 

Detailed Northeast Oregon Air Reports 

Detailed Southeast Washington Air Reports  

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

Bologna, Cottonwood, Little Bear, and Rosenbaum fires morning update, Monday, August 17, 2026

Bologna Fire:
Estimated Size: 4,509 acres
Containment: 78%
Cause: Lightning

Cottonwood Fire:
Estimated Size: 722 acres
Containment: 95%
Cause: Undetermined

Little Bear Fire:
Estimated Size: 67 acres
Containment: 95%
Cause: Human Caused

Rosenbaum Fire:
Estimated Size 483 acres
Containment: 16%
Cause: Lightning

Total Resources:
Hand Crews: 31
Engines: 27
Heavy Equipment: 13
Water Tenders: 13
Aviation: 8
Total Personnel: 738

Firefighters continue building containment across all area fires

KIMBERLY, Ore. (Aug. 17, 2026) – Firefighters continue to make steady progress and build containment on the Bologna, Cottonwood, Little Bear and Rosenbaum fires. Firefighters continue to strengthen control lines across all incidents. Crews have mopped up into 50 feet along portions of the Rosenbaum Fire and well into 200 and 300 feet into the fire’s perimeter on the Bologna, Cottonwood and Little Bear fires. Firefighters continue grid-pattern work to identify and cool hot spots along the fire’s edge and provide vigilant patrols to monitor and respond quickly if needed.

Aided by drones with infrared (IR) instruments, nightshift firefighters continue to map hot spots around the fire perimeters for crews to extinguish. Additionally, crews began some suppression repair work to prevent erosion and flooding.

This week, incident personnel expect more critical fire weather conditions, such as hot, dry and gusty conditions, as well as lightning forecasted in the greater region. This weather, paired with critically dry vegetation, creates conditions where any new fire starts can spread rapidly and likely result in extreme fire behavior. Incident personnel have identified initial attack resources to be prepared to assist local firefighting resources to quickly knock down any news starts. 

Incident officials urge public caution and ask everyone to follow local fire restrictions to help keep wildfires off the landscape.

Fire restrictions: Officials want to remind everyone that during fire season multiple agencies have restrictions in place to reduce human caused fires, including public use restrictions and limits on equipment use. Check with your local fire service organization before you start the next wildfire.

The Umatilla National Forest issued a temporary closure order for the Bologna Fire on August 11, 2026, which includes portions of Forest Service Roads (FSR) 24, as well as Tamarack Cabin and Lookout. For more information about the closure, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/umatilla/alerts 

Air Quality Information: Air quality updates: https://fire.airnow.gov/ 

If You Fly, We Can’t: Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR): A “TFR” is in place for the fire area daily (24 hours) until further notice. Flying a drone near or around a wildfire is illegal and compromises the safety of both pilots and firefighters and interferes with firefighting efforts.  If you fly, we can’t. All illegal drone use will be reported to law enforcement.

8/17/2026 Morning Briefing

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
August 17, 2026
BMIDC WEBSITE
8/16 (NEW) INITIAL ATTACK	Fires	Acres
Umatilla National Forest	5	2.6
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	1	.1
Vale/PRD District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	0	0
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	6	2.7
INCIDENT SUMMARY
Previous Day 8/16/2026 WWNF – 1 Fire at .1 Acres: Goat Fire   UMF – 5 Fires at 2.6 Acres: Yarn Springs, Thorn, Reser, Proctor Creek, and Pierson Fires.

8/16/2026 Morning Briefing

 

BMIDC MORNING BRIEFING
August 16, 2026
BMIDC WEBSITE
8/15 (NEW) INITIAL ATTACK	Fires	Acres
Umatilla National Forest	0	0
Wallowa Whitman National Forest	5	3
Vale/PRD District BLM Baker Area	0	0
NEO Oregon Department of Forestry	3	4
WA DNR Snake River Unit	0	0
BIA Umatilla Agency	0	0
Total	8	7
INCIDENT SUMMARY
Previous Day 8/15/2026 WWNF – 5 Fires at 3 Acres: Pickle, Heckly Ridge, Poison Creek, Swamp Creek, and Long Cut   ODF – 3 Fires at 4 Acres: Pack Rat, Mink Lane, and Tall Grass.