Paradise, Hagen, Ninemile and Horse Ridge Fire Information - July 23, 2026

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

Active Fire Spread Prompts Additional Evacuation Advisories

Update: Additional firefighters and equipment continue to join the firefighting operations based in Walla Walla and Athena. 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.

These values include human safety, structures and communities, protection of municipal water supply, railroad corridors, private timber and range lands, and recreation opportunities. The Paradise Fire is within the municipal watershed for the City of Walla Walla, requiring special attention to protect the integrity of the watershed. Because of the threat to high-value resources, these fires have become a top National priority for assignment of critically important firefighting resources like aircraft, crews and equipment.

For all fires, the objective is full extinguishment as fast and as safely 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. The teams are building control lines indirectly where the lines can be defended and successfully contain the fire.

The Paradise Fire (675 acres) about 10 miles southeast of Walla Walla showed moderate 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.

The Hagen Fire (8,620 acres) about 9 miles southwest of Tollgate, Ore. burned actively yesterday and has reached to Bingham Road on the north. The fire crossed Ryan Creek on the west and reached to the ridgeline on Stumbough Ridge. Extensive structure assessment and protection is in place for residences threatened by the fire. The Oregon State Fire Marshal has mobilized an incident management team and three structural task forces to this fire and is in unified command with Northwest Team 7. The fire has moved east across the 32 road and established itself in the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness.

The Horse Ridge Fire (688 acres) about 5 miles northeast of Meacham, Ore. grew only slightly. Firefighters are successfully holding the fire along FS Road 050, burning to remove fuels along the road to strengthen it as a containment line, supported by helicopter water drops.

The Ninemile Fire (19 acres) about 4 miles southwest of Tollgate within the North Fork Umatilla Wilderness, has shown very little activity in the past several days.

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 increased for the Hagen Fire.

Emergency Advisory: Umatilla County with Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation has issued the following advisories https://www.umatillacounty.net/departments/sheriffs-office/emergency-management/emergency-advisories  that include Level 3 (GO NOW!) and Level 2 and Level 1 for affected areas. 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: Increasing atmospheric instability has cleared much of the smoke in the area. While better visibility allows the use of aircraft, fresh air and higher windspeeds also favor fire spread. There is a potential for a mix of wet and dry thunderstorms this afternoon, with gusty winds of 25-35 mph and a chance of lightning.

Smoke Outlook: Patchy smoke is expected throughout the day. 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-b-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, https://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