2026 Burns Basin Fires

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire.

The Burns Basin Fires are several fires in the Burns/Hines, Oregon area and currently include: Second Flat Fire, Coleman Creek Fire, Stubble Fire, Crater Fire, Jackass Butte Fire, and Bald Mtn.

08/24/2026

Final Update from the Southern Area Gray Incident Management Team

Incident Management of the Second Flat, Coleman Creek, Bald Mountain, and Jackass Butte fires will return to the local units on August 25, 2026.

This page will no longer be updated or monitored. Please follow these accounts for future information:

Burns Interagency Fire Zone
U.S. Forest Service-Malheur National Forest

It has been a true privilege for our team to serve and stand alongside your community during this challenging fire season. Thank you for welcoming us into your community and supporting us throughout this assignment. Stay safe!

08/24/2026

8/24/2026 Operational Briefing

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire Information: 541-970-7130Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PMEmail: 2026.SecondFlat@firenet.govLocation...
08/24/2026

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire Information: 541-970-7130
Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Email: [email protected]
Location: Burns Basin
Start Date: 07/23/2026
Cause: Natural/Lightning
Size: Coleman Creek: 308,863 acres, 99% contained
Second Flat: 105,854 acres, 99% contained
Bald Mountain: 76,443 acres, 99% contained
Jackass Butte: 24,724 acres, 92% contained
Incident Websites:
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592509707547
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-bald-mountain
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-2026-coleman-creek
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-jackass-butte
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-second-flat
Personnel:
Coleman Creek Fire: 15
Second Flat Fire: 77
Bald Mountain Fire: 29
Jackass Butte: 6
CURRENT STATUS: The Southern Area Gray Team will transition command of the Burns Basin Fires to the local agency units on Tuesday, August 25, at 7 a.m. PDT.
SUPPRESSION REPAIR: Priority suppression repair needs are completed for the Coleman Creek, Jackass Butte and Second Flat Fires. Crews and equipment have been shifted to work on additional priority suppression
repair work on the Bald Mountain Fire in the northwestern corner.
FLOODING OPERATIONS: Water and pumping operations continue within multiple marsh areas on the
eastern side of the fire to thoroughly saturate the fields with water and reduce heat within smoldering peat.
WEATHER FORECAST: There is a 30% chance of storms and showers on Monday afternoon and evening
that may be capable of producing abundant lightning and gusty winds up to 50 mph. Through the rest of the week, the forecast is seasonally hot and dry with some mild afternoon breeziness.
CLOSURES: The “Forest Service Order 06-04-02-26-17: Second Flat Fire Area Reduced” remains in effect.
See the Malheur National Forest website for the closure order details and map.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/malheur/alerts

08/23/2026

8/23/2026 Operational Briefing

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire Information: 541-970-7130Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PMEmail: 2026.SecondFlat@firenet.govLocation...
08/23/2026

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire Information: 541-970-7130
Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Email: [email protected]
Location: Burns Basin
Start Date: 07/23/2026
Cause: Natural/Lightning
Size: Coleman Creek: 308,863 acres, 99% contained
Second Flat: 105,854 acres, 96% contained
Bald Mountain: 76,443 acres, 99% contained
Jackass Butte: 24,724 acres, 92% contained
Incident Websites:
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592509707547
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-bald-mountain
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-2026-coleman-creek
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-jackass-butte
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-second-flat
Personnel:
Coleman Creek Fire: 37
Second Flat Fire: 100
Bald Mountain Fire: 32
Jackass Butte: 14
FIRE PATROLS: Dry fuels outside the fire perimeters remain receptive to new ignitions and localized
afternoon increases in fire activity could occur. Crews will continue to secure and patrol primary fire
containment lines, with an emphasis on preventing any new spread towards critical resources.

SUPPRESSION REPAIR: Work is ongoing to repair fire suppression damages in the following areas:
• Coleman Creek: near the center between Warm Springs Reservoir and Juntura-Riverside Road
• Second Flat: on the northeastern fire perimeter and along Higgins Logging Road
• Bald Mountain: along contingency lines/access routes on the northern end and southeastern side

DOZER LINE REPAIR: Dozer (or bulldozer) lines are used to contain wildfires by removing a wide swath of
vegetation in a specific area. The barren line deprives a fire of fuel to burn and limits its spread. After a wildfire,
dozer line repair is an essential activity that reverses damages and restores stability to the landscape. It helps
prevent soil erosion that can pollute waterways, the spread of noxious weeds, and other hazards like landslides.
Suppression repair is the first step in the path towards post-fire recovery. Work includes reshaping the soil,
repairing any damaged drainages, installing erosion-control measures and reseeding areas. This initial repair
work is focused on protecting natural and cultural resources that have been identified as priorities by local land
managers and resource specialists in the suppression repair plan.

FLOODING OPERATIONS: Work was completed on the Jackass Butte Fire to dig trenches within a southern
marsh to improve the flooding of smoldering organic material. This work is being repeated on a northern marsh.

WEATHER FORECAST: Sunday will be cooler but remain dry with elevated wind gusts in the afternoon.

CLOSURES: The “Forest Service Order 06-04-02-26-17: Second Flat Fire Area Reduced” remains in effect.
See the Malheur National Forest website for the closure order details and map.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/malheur/alerts

08/22/2026

8/22/2026 Operational Briefing

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire Information: 541-970-7130Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PMEmail: 2026.SecondFlat@firenet.gov Locatio...
08/22/2026

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire Information: 541-970-7130
Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Email: [email protected]
Location: Burns Basin
Start Date: 07/23/2026
Cause: Natural/Lightning
Size: Coleman Creek: 308,863 acres, 99% contained
Second Flat: 105,854 acres, 96% contained
Bald Mountain: 76,443 acres, 97% contained
Jackass Butte: 24,724 acres, 92% contained
Personnel: Coleman Creek Fire: 40
Second Flat Fire: 114
Bald Mountain Fire: 34
Jackass Butte: 54
Incident Websites:
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592509707547
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-bald-mountain https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-2026-coleman-creek
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-jackass-butte
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-second-flat

FIRE PATROLS: With the critical fire weather this weekend, crews remain vigilant with their patrols to look for hot spots and extinguish any heat or flare-ups found along primary fire containment lines. Any wind-driven fire behavior resulting from the weather could result in rapid changes in the direction of fire spread or intensity.

SUPPRESSION REPAIR: Work is ongoing to repair fire suppression damages in the following areas:
• Coleman Creek: near the center by Juntura-Riverside Road and riparian areas on the western side
• Second Flat: on the northeastern fire perimeter and along Higgins Logging Road
• Bald Mountain: along contingency lines/access routes on the northern end and southeastern side

FLOODING OPERATIONS: Operations were expanded on the Jackass Butte Fire to include dug trenches within a southern marsh area that is still burning to improve water saturation into the ground.

WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday will be dry and breezy with elevated/critical fire weather in Harney and Malheur Counties, with a chance for storms in the afternoon/evening. Storms may be capable of producing abundant lightning and outflow gusts up to 50 mph, which may be erratic in direction near storm cells.

FIRE WEATHER FACT: A wildfire can create its own weather system. Hot air from a fire rises like an oven, while cooler air rushes in to replace it. This motion can generate erratic surface winds, causing a fire to spread faster or change direction. As this rising heat cools, it also can condense water v***r to form a billowing cloud (pyrocumulus), and in some cases, fire-generated thunderstorms.

CLOSURES: The “Forest Service Order 06-04-02-26-17: Second Flat Fire Area Reduced” remains in effect. See the Malheur National Forest website for the closure order details and map.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/malheur/alert

08/21/2026

8/21/2026 Operational Briefing

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire Information: 541-970-7130 Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM Email: 2026.SecondFlat@firenet.gov Locat...
08/21/2026

2026 Burns Basin Fires Fire Information: 541-970-7130
Hours: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Email: [email protected]
Location: Burns Basin
Start Date: 07/23/2026
Size: Coleman Creek: 308,863 acres, 95% contained
Second Flat: 105,854 acres, 95% contained
Bald Mountain: 76,443 acres, 95% contained
Jackass Butte: 24,724 acres, 92% contained
Cause: Natural/Lightning
Personnel: Coleman Creek Fire: 45
Second Flat Fire: 140
Bald Mountain Fire: 35
Jackass Butte: 55
Incident Websites: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61592509707547
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-bald-mountain
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-2026-coleman-creek
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-jackass-butte
https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/orbud-second-flat
SUMMARY: Active patrols and infrared (IR) flights continue to detect heat pockets across some fire areas. The current and forecasted weather conditions are favorable to smoldering fire activity, including in dried-up wetlands within the Jackass Butte Fire where sprinkler and flooding operations have been ramping up. Work remains flexible to enable crews to respond to any hot spots and start new suppression repair projects as others finish up. Crews build necessary firelines and access routes during wildfire suppression, but it leaves the ground disturbed. Without repair, soil can erode and clog streams, and invasive plants may easily spread.
COLEMAN CREEK FIRE: Conduct patrol and mop-up operations as needed, and repair dozer lines towards the center of the fire near Juntura-Riverside Rd. and riparian areas on the western side using hand crews.
SECOND FLAT FIRE: Conduct patrol and mop-up operations as needed, and repair wildfire suppression damages on the northeast
BALD MOUNTAIN FIRE: Conduct patrol and mop-up operations as needed, and repair fire suppression damage on the eastern side and northern end of the fire, utilizing heavy equipment and hand crews.
JACKASS BUTTE FIRE: Conduct patrol and mop-up operations as needed, and expand water operations in marshes to limit heat within the thick layers of organic material underground that could possibly re-ignite.
WEATHER: Warm, dry and breezy conditions through Friday morning with increasing chances for showers and thunderstorms on Friday evening.
CLOSURES: The “Forest Service Order 06-04-02-26-17: Second Flat Fire Area Reduced” remains in effect. See the Malheur National Forest website for the closure order details and map.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/malheur/alerts

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Fires Surrounding Burns/Hines Communities
Burns, OR

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