SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act Wednesday afternoon for the rapidly growing Grasshopper Fire in Wasco County, prompting the Oregon State Fire Marshal to mobilize additional firefighting resources to protect threatened communities and critical infrastructure.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal will deploy an incident management team and assign structural firefighting task forces to assist with firefighting operations as the blaze continues to spread.
The agency had already sent three task forces to the fire on Saturday, July 25, through its Immediate Response program. Those crews have been working alongside wildland firefighters to defend the communities of Sportsman Park and Pine Hollow.
The Grasshopper Fire was mapped at 18,136 acres Tuesday night and remains one of several large wildfires burning across Oregon during a period of extreme fire danger.
The Wasco County Sheriff’s Office has issued Level 1 (Be Ready), Level 2 (Be Set), and Level 3 (Go Now) evacuation orders for areas threatened by the fire. Residents are encouraged to monitor the sheriff’s office for updated evacuation information and maps.
State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said the fire comes as Oregon faces another stretch of dangerous wildfire weather.
“Wildfires continue to challenge us and our wildland partners across the state. This weekend’s forecast is concerning with hot, dry, and windy conditions expected,” Ruiz-Temple said. “The best thing Oregonians can do to help out the thousands of firefighters across the state is to be wildfire aware, have an evacuation plan in place, and sign up for emergency alerts in your county.”
To bolster Oregon’s firefighting capacity, the Oregon State Fire Marshal has brought in additional resources through the Oregon Fire Mutual Aid System from California, Utah, and Washington. Firefighters arriving from Utah will be assigned to the Grasshopper Fire.
The Grasshopper Fire marks the 11th invocation of the Emergency Conflagration Act in 2026, highlighting the intensity of this year’s wildfire season.
The Oregon State Fire Marshal became an independent state agency in July 2023 and works with local fire agencies, communities, and partner organizations to coordinate fire prevention, preparedness, and emergency response across the state.
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