Subscribe to OregonLive. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism The Eagle Creek wildfire burns on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge near Cascade Locks on Sept. 5, 2017. The Terra satellite captured this image on August 12, 2002, showing actively burning areas marked with red outlines. Oregon Gov. Brown said on Twitter that the evacuations were ongoing. person will not be tolerated. In 2012, another massive range fire in southeast ­Oregon, the Long Draw Fire, torched 558,000 acres, helping boost the total acreage burned in the state to a 1.3 million acres. The blaze is completely uncontained, and its cause is under investigation. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. At a news conference Thursday, she said there have been fatalities but the exact number is not yet known. Six of the top 20 largest fires in state history have occurred this year as well. The number is likely to continue climbing. The improved weather is allowing more aggressive firefighting but heavy smoke is hampering use of aircraft. The biggest fire in state history, the Silverton Fire of 1865, burned an estimated 990,000 acres southeast of Salem. Kate Brown now says more than 80,000 people have had to evacuate because of wildfires burning across the state. One square mile is the equivalent of 640 acres. (Christian Gallagher via AP), Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The latest figures from Thursday evening come from the Oregon Office of Emergency Management. OROVILLE, Calif. — California authorities say a wildfire that roared through foothills of the northern Sierra Nevada this week has destroyed or damaged about 2,000 structures, including homes and other buildings. Keep journalists asking the hard questions. Connolly said there’s a lot of random chance in how many acres burn each fire season. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the August Complex has scorched more than 736 square miles (1,906 square kilometers), centered in vast wilderness about 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of San Francisco. Taken all together, the nearly 700,000 acres burned in Oregon this year would cover just more than one-third of Deschutes County’s 1,955,000 acres, or just about 1 percent of the total land area in the state. SPOKANE, Wash. — The parents of a 1-year-old boy who died in a northern Washington state wildfire remained in critical condition Thursday in a Seattle hospital. The lightning-caused Green Ridge fire is burning about 12 miles northwest of Sisters. Error! “If you’re advised to evacuate, do so immediately,” she said. At 33.3 square miles, or 21,312 acres, the city of Bend is about two Smith Rock State Parks shy of the area burned this summer by the Milli Fire west of Sisters. The blaze covers 4,169 acres and has prompted Level 1 and 2 (be ready; be set) evacuation notices. The Latest on wildfires in the U.S. West (all times local): 5:25 p.m. SALEM, Ore. -- Authorities in Oregon now say more than 500,000 people statewide have been forced to evacuate because of wildfires. The Indian Creek fire, which started last Sunday along U.S. 20 at Jonesboro, now covers 49,139 acres. Sunriver covers approximately 3,300 acres, while the in-bounds skiable area at Mt. Be Truthful. Success! (Joe Kline/Bulletin photo), The Eagle Creek wildfire burns on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge near Cascade Locks on Sept. 5, 2017. It’s 45% contained. Here’s a look at some of the state’s most significant fires: A pair of lightning-caused fires, the P-515 and Lionshead blazes, are covering a cumulative 6,448 acres near Warm Springs. WILSONVILLE, Ore. — The Oregon Department of Corrections says it is evacuating a prison out of an abundance of caution as two large wildfires in the area appear to be merging. SALEM, Ore. — Oregon Gov. The Latest on wildfires in the U.S. West (all times local): SALEM, Ore. -- Authorities in Oregon now say more than 500,000 people statewide have been forced to evacuate because of wildfires. Malden is a farm town set among wheat fields about 35 miles south of Spokane, Washington. Because wildfires most often burn well away from populated areas, and because most people seldom think in terms of tens or hundreds of thousands of acres, it can be difficult to grasp how large any given fire really is. There have been at least three reported fire deaths in the state. Often, it’s one or two huge fires that drive the acreage totals in any given year, frequently fast-moving fires in grassy rangeland on the eastern side of the state. Hawley said the parents Jacob Hyland, 31, and Jamie Hyland, 26, were flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of third-degree burns. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. More than 80% of the homes in Malden were destroyed by the flames. Due to a return to more typical weather patterns, this summer has been the first fire season in about five years with more lightning-caused fires than human-caused fires, she said. accounts, the history behind an article. Get an email notification whenever someone contributes to the discussion. Earlier this week, fires triggered evacuations at three other prisons near Oregon’s capital city of Salem. Redmond’s city limits encircle 16.8 square miles, or 10,752 acres. A list of Oregon's largest wildfires since 1900. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/20). Brown said she had requested firefighting help from other states and the federal government. The Frog fire, caused by lightning eight miles south of the Crook County community of Post, covers about 4,000 acres and is 35% contained. The White River blaze in the Mt. The fire is 2% contained. Threats of harming another California is now almost entirely free of Red Flag warnings for critical fire weather, but 14,000 firefighters remain on the lines of 29 major wildfires. that is degrading to another person. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. each comment to let us know of abusive posts. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says as of Thursday wildfires have scorched nearly 4,844 square miles (12,545 square kilometers) so far this year. More than 1,400 square miles (3,625 square kilometers) have burned this week in the state. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. In 2014, nearly 1 million acres burned in Oregon, including the 6,908-acre Two Bulls Fire just west of Bend, and the nearly 400,000-acre Buzzard Complex range fire in the state’s southeast corner. Inslee has declared a state of emergency to free up cash assistance for families in need.