PRINEVILLE, Ore. – Three large wildfires east of Prineville kept growing quickly in Sunday’s heat and winds, threatening to merge and prompting closure of a 40-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 26.

The highway was closed from milepost 26 to 66, from just east of Prineville to the John Day River at the junction with Oregon Highway 19, the Oregon Department of Transportation said. Track the latest updates at TripCheck.com, where ODOT officials later revised it to be a "conditional closure: The highway is open to local traffic and local deliveries only. No through traffic allowed."

Here is Sunday night's update from fire officials, posted on the Brewer Fire Facebook page:

Brewer, Green Mountain and Crosswhite West fires near merging, extreme fire behavior persists

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (July 26, 2026)- Today, localized Red-Flag weather continued to drive extreme fire behavior and active growth on the Brewer, Green Mountain, and Crosswhite West fires. It’s likely all three will soon merge with persistent high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong winds.

Extreme fire behavior challenged firefighters through the afternoon with active movement on multiple parts of the Brewer and Crosswhite West fires, creating multiple pyrocumulous clouds.

Firefighters assigned to the Brewer Fire were able to hold lines along the northwest and western perimeters of the fire, allowing some crews to engage in mop-up activity and surge to other portions of the fire. Progress was made bolstering lines along Lofton Road and McKay Creek Road, and firefighters successfully completed hoselay off Grizzly Road.

With multiple fires likely to meet each other at certain points, the priorities are now keeping the fires south of the A-Y Road and north of McKay Creek Road.

Along the northern perimeter, crews patrolled and held lines along the A-Y Road and Trout Creek. Fire naturally backed down to the road and firefighters were able to hold the fire there. Crews are still addressing a small spot fire in the area.

Along the southern edge of the Brewer Fire, crews improved lines early in the day, then shifted to prepping indirect lines tying Mill Creek to McKay Creek Road.

On the southeastern edge, firefighters made significant progress today, successfully removing fuels from McKay Creek Road to the southeast edge of the fire. Numerous spot fires were picked up, though some remain active. The fire continues pushing north/northeast.

To the south of the Crosswhite West Fire, heavy equipment resources shifted east to build line between the fire and Highway 26 to protect homes in the Marks Creek community. Fire remains about half a mile from structures.

Along the northern edge of the Crosswhite West Fire, resources are scouting the fires edge for areas to tie together indirect lines. Unburned fuel remains between the primary lines and the main fire, and north winds may influence fire movement overnight.

While the pyrocumulous clouds visible from Prineville and nearby communities are indicators of dynamic fire activity, fire managers are confident in overall direction of the incident, and are prioritizing structure protection along Lofton Creek, McKay Creek Road, and in the Marks Creek neighborhood, while continuing to maintain a firefighting presence around structures in the affected areas.

Evacuations:

Level 1, 2 and 3 evacuations are in effect for the Brewer and Box Springs fires. County sheriff’s offices issue evacuation orders. The most current evacuation information is available at:

Crook County:

www.facebook.com/CrookCountySheriff

Jefferson County:

www.facebook.com/JeffersonCountyORSheriff/

Smoke Impacts:

Smoke from the Brewer, Green Mountain and Crosswhite West fires may be visible in Prineville and surrounding areas, reducing visibility and impacting air quality in nearby communities. Smoke conditions can change throughout the day as winds shift. Individuals sensitive to smoke should take appropriate precautions. For current air quality information and smoke forecasts, visit:

https://fire.airnow.gov/

Closures:

BLM has issued closures for lands in and near the fires. See below for current information:

BLM Closures and Restrictions:

https://www.blm.gov/.../oregon-washington/fire-restrictions

USFS has issued closures for lands in and near the fires. See below for current information:

USFS Closures and Restrictions:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/ochoco/alerts

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.

Air Quality Information:

Air quality updates:

https://fire.airnow.gov/