Climate / Other
2026 fire season ranks among the Northwest's most destructive
Wildfires burned more than 900,000 acres in Washington and more than 2.5 million acres in Oregon in 2026, breaking Oregon's record.
Source-checked story: attributed primary-source and published reporting; no on-location reporting.
In 2026, wildfires burned more than 900,000 acres in Washington state, and more than 2.5 million acres in Oregon, shattering that state’s record, Northwest Public Broadcasting reported Nov. 6.
Drought conditions — low snowpack, a hot spring and dry vegetation — preceded the season, according to the report. Jon Bonk, a meteorologist with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, described a “one-two punch” of July lightning storms that ignited fires, followed by wind that spread them.
On Aug. 1, the National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning that for the first time in Washington and Oregon's history it described as a “particularly dangerous situation,” the outlet reported, citing the New York Times. A man in the Spokane area allegedly set a fire that day that damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures, according to the report.
“The way that that fire moved, and the level of destruction on the landscape, was something I had not seen before in my career,” said Ryan Rodruck, wildfire communications manager for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. He said 65,000 people in the Spokane area evacuated in about an hour, with no injuries or fatalities.
Oregon’s fire season has been declared over, while in Washington only a big precipitation event will end fire season, Rodruck said, according to the report.
What we know / what we don't
What we know
- Wildfires burned more than 900,000 acres in Washington and more than 2.5 million acres in Oregon in 2026, breaking Oregon's record.
What we don't know
- Total structures lost region-wide.
The source record