PRINEVILLE, Ore. -- Here's Sunday night's update on the nearly 368,000-acre Rowe Creek Complex east of Prineville, where active behavior and shifting winds made for more challenging times for hundreds of firefighters:

Sunday, August 9, 2026 (P.M.)

Acreage: 367,847

Containment: 79%

Personnel: 1,604

Firefighters were heavily engaged again today in the US Highway 26 (US 26), Mill Creek Road, and Ranger Road (County Road 23) area.

The fire was active on the north end of Mill Creek, where it is burning down steep terrain towards the bottom of the drainage. Air operations provided support where the terrain was inaccessible to heavy equipment.

Shifting, terrain-driven winds are an additional challenge for firefighters. The fire picked up in the afternoon towards County Road 23. Oregon State Fire Marshal crews provided structure protection while wildland fire crews worked to keep the fire north of the road. After a shift in winds, the fire pushed to the northeast towards Forest Road 2610, which crews have prepped as a holding feature. No new spots were detected south of County Road 23 today.

Operations tonight will focus off Mill Creek Road and Ranger Road. Crews will use calmer overnight weather conditions to backfire in both of these areas in order to keep the fire within established lines.

Highway 26 remains closed from milepost 29.2 to 59.8.

You can read Sunday's fire update from the Oregon State Fire Marshal here.

Earlier info:

Hot, windy weather has ramped up the challenges facing more than 1,600 firefighters working on the nearly 3-week-old lightning-sparked blaze. On Friday, several spot fires jumped the highway and a 37-mile stretch remains closed for the foreseeable future.

Here's Saturday evening's update:

Rowe Creek Complex Quick Facts

Saturday, August 8, 2026 (P.M.)

Acreage: 366,617

Containment: 79%

Personnel: 1,615

Saturday brought another busy day for firefighters as they engaged with extreme fire behavior near the intersections of US Highway 26 (US 26), Ranger Station Road (County Road 23), and Salmon Creek Road.

Early this morning, 10 acres of fire spotted and slopped over Ranger Station Road. The fire also slopped over Salmon Creek Road. These spots and slopover are surrounded by dozer lines. Handcrews and engines engaged with the fire where conditions allowed.

Up near Cherry Creek Road, ground crews and aerial resources engaged the fire throughout the day to keep it within established control lines.

Crews will work to hold control lines in both of these areas of fire activity overnight. Warm, dry weather and extremely dry fuels are expected to continue to provide challenging firefighting conditions.

At 6 a.m. tomorrow, Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2 will enter into unified command with the Oregon State Fire Marshal Red Team. OSFM resources will focus on structure protection in areas near the uncontained portion of the fire area.

Here's Saturday morning's update from fire officials, including an operations video, followed by a summary of Friday's activity from the Oregon State Fire Marshal:

Rowe Creek Complex Firefighters Battle Extreme Fire Behavior 

Daily Update: August 8, 2026 

Official Acreage: 364,413

Start Date: July 15, 2026

Location: 10 miles south of Fossil, Oregon

Cause: Lightning

Personnel: 1,746

Fuels: Tall Grass, Timber, Brush

Containment: 76%

Highlights: Firefighters saw extreme fire behavior on many fronts of the fire yesterday. Quick actions were taken to put lines around new breakouts and protect structures in their path.

Operations: Friday, crews worked against very difficult Red Flag conditions to keep the fire within its current footprint. One Remote Automatic Weather Station (RAWS) in the area reported 95 degrees and 8% relative humidity during the day.

Firefighters worked to connect holding features south of Forest Service Road 3300-500 (FSR 500) and southeast of US Highway 26 (US 26) as contingency lines. At the same time, other crews used direct tactics to hold the fire at FSR 500 and US 26. In the afternoon multiple spot fires crossed US 26 and surge groups arrived to assist firefighters already working to suppress them.

The previous day’s spot fire on the south side of FSR 500 became established and the Salmon Creek Road was incorporated as part of the primary containment line on that section of the fire.

A backing fire burned down the slope above Salmon Creek and reached the road. Crews used County Road 23 (CR 23), sometimes called Ranger Road or Ochoco Creek Road, and a network of dozer lines to try to hold the fire burning on the southeast side of US 26. A focus was made on structure protection.

Operations on the lines near Cherry Creek were successful in keeping the fire east of Cherry Creek Road but a slop-over crossed the Tomkins Pass Road to the north. Crews were working to suppress that slop-over into the night shift.

Visibility was generally good, allowing rotor and fixed wing aircraft to assist crews on the ground. They were used in both the Cherry Creek/Tomkins Pass area and the US 26/FSR 500 area.

Structure protection task forces remained prepared and staged to move quickly wherever they are needed.

North of Ochoco Divide on US 26, mop-up operations were conducted around structures. There are still green islands within the fire perimeter and many of them are burning out, contributing to the smoke seen from surrounding communities.

Structures in the Hamilton Creek area have one such green island nearby and firefighters monitored the island to ensure the structures are defended if it burns out. Patrols on the perimeter from Johnson Creek to Brewer Reservoir did not detect any hot spots that threatened the fireline but that section of line remained under close observation.

Today, firefighters will continue the efforts of yesterday. Primary objectives will be to keep the fire within established control lines while scouting and preparing contingency lines.

Crews will continue to use natural and manmade features to build a web of contingency lines. Along US 26, CR 23, and FR 500 preparations will continue to prevent further breaches of those barriers. Vegetation removal, chipping, and strategic firing operations will all be employed in this effort.

Additional Oregon State Fire Marshal structure protection task forces will be arriving and deployed wherever necessary to protect homes and other values at risk. Surge groups are staged and will respond quickly to areas of need.

Notice: Evacuation statuses, closures (road, lands, airspace, etc.), weather, restrictions and air quality can all change quickly. It is important to pay attention to public service announcements which may come out as phone alerts, radio and TV announcements, and web sites. Many emergency management agencies (such as counties and utilities) offer sign-ups to ensure you are notified of hazardous situations in your community.

Evacuations: Crook County changed evacuation status on Friday, August7. For county evacuation maps, check Crook County: https://protect.genasys.com/, Jefferson County: //tinyurl.com/bdz88ufn, Wasco County: //perimetermap.com/wascocounty-or and Wheeler County: //arcg.is/1aDrHm4. A Red Cross shelter is being operated at the East Side Church, 3174 NE Third Street, Prineville.

Weather: Today will be slightly cooler than Friday, with no improvement in relative humidity. The forecast high is 88 degrees. Wind will be light with sustained northwest winds up to 8 mph and gusts as high as 18 mph.

At lower elevations, topographical and diurnal effects will make wind less predictable. Firefighters will have to be prepared for winds to change direction and intensity without warning.

Relative humidity recovery last night was poor, as low as 35% in areas. Today it could dip to 14%. In these conditions, fire activity will be very high most of the day. Smoke columns are likely to develop, an effect which can cause rapid fire spread when they collapse. There is no significant precipitation forecast during the next several days.

Closures and Restrictions: Firefighters are reporting increased traffic in closed areas. For public and firefighter safety, please stay out of these areas. Until cleared for reopening, there are hazards, such as fire-weakened trees, stressed roadbeds and bridges, loosened overhead rocks, etc. that are not immediately obvious to untrained eyes.

Ochoco National Forest has reduced the emergency closure order for the Coyote Fire. Forest Service closure information can be found at fs.usda.gov/r06/ochoco/alerts. For Bureau of Land Management closures, refer to blm.gov/programs/fire/regional-info/oregon-washington/fire-restrictions.

All three units of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument previously closed are open. For more information: nps.gov/joda/planyourvisit/conditions.htm. For information on fire restrictions on public and private lands in Central Oregon, refer to https://centraloregonfire.org/fire-restrictions/. Road closures can be checked at tripcheck.com.

A temporary flight restriction is in place in the area to ensure safe aerial firefighting operations. Unauthorized drone and aircraft operations are illegal in this zone. For more information, visit https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr3. If you fly, we can’t!

Safety: Air quality in the area has recently experienced every level from Good to Hazardous and can change rapidly. For detailed information, refer to https://fire.airnow.gov/#8/44.457/-120.394. For information on mitigating the effects of wildfire smoke, refer to epa.gov/air-research/smoke-ready-toolbox-wildfires. Please stay out of closed areas, follow evacuation orders and avoid activities that could spark another wildfire.

20260808 Activity MapDownload

Oregon State Fire Marshal's release:

Firefighters battle extreme behavior on Rowe Creek Complex; containment reaches 76%

Firefighters faced extreme fire behavior Friday as the Rowe Creek Complex grew to 364,413 acres. Despite very difficult red flag weather conditions, crews were able to increase containment to 76 percent.

Crews spent much of Friday defending control lines against 95-degree heat and 8 percent humidity. The most significant activity occurred along U.S. Highway 26, where multiple spot fires crossed the highway in the afternoon. Surge groups were quickly deployed to assist ground crews in suppressing these breakouts.

To the south, a spot fire that started earlier in the week became established near Forest Service Road 500, forcing fire managers to incorporate Salmon Creek Road into the primary containment line as the fire backed down the slope toward the road. Firefighters also utilized County Road 23 (Ochoco Creek Road) and a network of bulldozer lines to hold the fire’s southeast flank.

Progress was reported on several other fronts:

• Cherry Creek: Crews successfully kept the flames east of Cherry Creek Road.
• Tomkins Pass: Firefighters worked through the night to suppress a slop-over where the fire crossed Tomkins Pass Road.
• Aviation: Good visibility allowed both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to support ground teams in the Cherry Creek and Highway 26 sectors.
• Mop-up: North of the Ochoco Divide, personnel are cooling down hot spots around buildings to ensure their safety.

Protecting homes remains a top priority. The Oregon State Fire Marshal deployed additional structural task forces to protect homes and other critical infrastructure. Firefighters are also closely monitoring green islands, unburned areas inside the fire's perimeter, near Hamilton Creek to prevent new threats to nearby structures.

Conditions are expected to remain challenging today with a forecast high of 88 degrees and humidity dropping as low as 14 percent. While winds will be light, gusting up to 18 mph, fire officials warn that terrain effects can make wind direction unpredictable. There is no rain in the forecast for the next several days.

Evacuation levels continue to shift; Crook County updated its status on Friday. Those living near the fire should check the following maps for their current status:

• Crook County: protect.genasys.com
• Jefferson County: tinyurl.com/bdz88ufn
• Wasco County: perimetermap.com/wascocounty-or
• Wheeler County: arcg.is/1aDrHm4

A Red Cross shelter is open at the East Side Church (3174 NE Third Street, Prineville).

Public lands in the Ochoco National Forest remain under emergency closure orders, though the units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument are now open. Travelers can check for the latest road closures and conditions at TripCheck.com.

A Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the fire area; the public is reminded that unauthorized drone use is illegal and will ground all firefighting aircraft.